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

Rating 1231 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rooks a1/f1; bishops b2/e2; knights c3/f3; pawns a3/b3/c2/d6/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/g7; knights a6/e4; pawns a7/b6/c5/d7/e7/f5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd6 — knight e4→d6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd5+ — queen d3→d5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxa8 — queen d5→a8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rk1/p2pp1bp/np1P2p1/2p2p2/4n3/PPNQ1N2/1BP1BPPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 12

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