Chess Puzzle #3pVr8 — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1571 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c3/f1; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a4; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knights c6/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/e7/f7/g6/g7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: O-O-O — king e8→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc5 — knight e4→c5. Opponent replies Qxd4 (queen a4→d4, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop c3→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short, trapped piece. The key move is Nc5.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/ppp1ppp1/2n2np1/8/q2PN3/2B2P2/PPP3PP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 3 11

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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