Chess Puzzle #3plhc — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1082 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d2; rooks d1/h1; bishop e2; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f4/h4. Black: king g7; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/d6/e7/f7/g6/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf2 — knight g4→f2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd4+ — queen d2→d4, gives check. Opponent replies e5 (pawn e7→e5).
  3. Best move: Qxf2 — queen d4→f2, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd4+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1r2/pp2ppk1/3p2pp/8/4PPnP/2N5/PPPQB3/2KR3R b - - 1 15

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