Chess Puzzle #3gM3w — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1296 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e3; rooks a1/h1; bishops a4/c1; knights c3/g1; pawns a2/b2/c4/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights b4/c6; pawns a7/d7/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen e3→c5, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd3+ — knight b4→d3, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king e1→f1).
  3. Best move: Nxc5 — knight d3→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Nd3+.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/p2p1ppp/2n1p3/2b1P3/BnP5/2N1Q3/PP3PPP/R1B1K1NR w KQkq - 2 10

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