Chess Puzzle #3qcQD — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1366 · Intermediate · advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, fork, very long.

Position

White: king g1; rook e1; pawns a3/b4/d6/g2/h3. Black: king e6; knight e5; pawns b5/e3/f4/g5/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd1 — rook e1→d1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: e2 — pawn e3→e2. Opponent replies Re1 (rook d1→e1).
  3. Best move: f3 — pawn f4→f3. Opponent replies gxf3 (pawn g2→f3, captures pawn).
  4. Best move: Nxf3+ — knight e5→f3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf2 (king g1→f2).
  5. Best move: Nxe1 — knight f3→e1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, fork, very long. The key move Nxf3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/8/3Pk2p/1p2n1p1/1P3p2/P3p2P/6P1/4R1K1 w - - 1 40

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.