Chess Puzzle #3TfAf — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1174 · Beginner · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen f3; rook d1; bishops d2/d3; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g2. Black: king e8; queen h4; rooks a8/h8; bishop e7; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg4 — queen h4→g4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Bxf6 (bishop e7→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxg4 — queen f3→g4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp2bppp/2p1pn2/8/3PN2q/2PB1Q2/PP1B1PP1/2KR4 b kq - 2 17

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.