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

Rating 1936 · Advanced · advantage, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g2; queen f3; rooks a1/e1; bishop c1; knights b5/e6; pawns f4/g5/h4. Black: king c8; queen b7; rooks d5/f5; bishop a5; knight c4; pawns b6/e5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxe1 — bishop a5→e1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra7 — rook a1→a7. Opponent replies Rd2+ (rook d5→d2, gives check).
  3. Best move: Bxd2 — bishop c1→d2, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxf3+ (queen b7→f3, captures queen, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kxf3 — king g2→f3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move is Ra7.

Position data

FEN: 2k5/1q4pp/1p2N3/bN1rprP1/2n2P1P/5Q2/6K1/R1B1R3 b - - 3 25

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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