Chess Puzzle #3eNUn — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1209 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen e4; knight f5; pawns a2/b3/c4/f2/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen c5; rook d8; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc6 — queen c5→c6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne7+ — knight f5→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Nxc6 — knight e7→c6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Ne7+.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/pp3pp1/3p3p/2q2N2/2P1Q1P1/1P5P/P4PK1/8 b - - 4 27

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