Chess Puzzle #3tES9 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2165 · Expert · deflection, discovered attack, discovered check, equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; rooks b1/g1; bishop c3; knight c6; pawns f2/h2. Black: king g8; rooks a8/f8; bishops e7/h3; knight b8; pawns a7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc6 — knight b8→c6, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxg7+ — rook g1→g7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Rxf7+ — rook g7→f7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

deflection, discovered attack, discovered check, equality, middlegame, short. The key move Rxg7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rn3rk1/p3bppp/2N5/8/8/2B4b/5P1P/1R2K1R1 b - - 0 23

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