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

Rating 1789 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen e1; rooks a1/f1; bishop f3; knight e4; pawns a3/b2/c3/d3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen h4; rooks a8/f8; bishops d7/e5; pawns a7/b7/c5/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh6 — queen h4→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxc5 — knight e4→c5, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qf4 (queen h6→f4).
  3. Best move: g3 — pawn g2→g3.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Nxc5 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp1bpp1p/6p1/2p1b3/4N2q/P1PP1B1P/1P4P1/R3QR1K b - - 2 19

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