Chess Puzzle #3VnRi — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1230 · Intermediate · advantage, defensive move, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/e2; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/d4/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops d7/f8; knights c6/g8; pawns a6/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd4 — knight c6→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxd4 — knight f3→d4, captures knight. Opponent replies Bc5 (bishop f8→c5).
  3. Best move: Be3 — bishop c1→e3.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, opening, short. The key move Nxd4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r3kbnr/1p1b1ppp/pqn1p3/3pP3/3P1P2/5N2/PP2B1PP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 9

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