Chess Puzzle #42In5 — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1254 · Intermediate · advantage, kingside attack, master, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/g2; knight b1; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/f2/g3/h3. Black: king e8; queen d5; rooks a8/h8; bishops f3/f8; knights c6/f6; pawns a7/b7/c5/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf3 — bishop g2→f3, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd4 — knight c6→d4. Opponent replies Bxd5 (bishop f3→d5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxe2+ — knight d4→e2, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, kingside attack, master, opening, short. The key move Nxe2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/pp3ppp/2n2n2/2pqp3/8/3P1bPP/PPP1QPB1/RNB2RK1 w kq - 0 10

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