Chess Puzzle #3UxVX — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1821 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f5; rook f1; knights c3/g6; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/g5/h2. Black: king g8; queen b4; rooks e7/f8; knight b6; pawns a6/b7/c7/d5/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxe3 — rook e7→e3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf8 — knight g6→f8, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxf8 (queen b4→f8, captures knight).
  3. Best move: g6 — pawn g5→g6.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Nxf8 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1pp1rpp1/pn4N1/3p1QP1/1q1P4/2N1P3/PP5P/5R1K b - - 6 25

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