Chess Puzzle #40ZT2 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1236 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks a1/e1; bishop g5; knight d2; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks c8/f8; bishop e7; knights c6/f6; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nh5 — knight f6→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxe7+ — bishop g5→e7, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Nxg3 (knight h5→g3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxd8 — bishop e7→d8, captures queen. Opponent replies Rfxd8 (rook f8→d8, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: fxg3 — pawn f2→g3, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, long, middlegame. The key move Bxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2rq1rk1/pp2bp2/2n1pn2/3p2B1/3P4/2P3QP/PP1N1PP1/R3R1K1 b - - 2 16

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