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

Rating 1283 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/g3; knights d2/d4; pawns a2/b2/e2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops b4/c8; knights e5/g8; pawns a7/b7/d5/f6/g4/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nc4 — knight e5→c4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4+ — queen d1→a4, gives check. Opponent replies Bd7 (bishop c8→d7).
  3. Best move: Qxb4 — queen a4→b4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qa4+.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk1nr/pp5p/5p2/3pn3/1b1N2p1/6B1/PP1NPPPP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 4 13

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