Chess Puzzle #43YjH — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rooks c1/e1; knight c3; pawns a4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e5; rooks c8/f8; knight d5; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf6 — queen e5→f6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxd5 — knight c3→d5, captures knight. Opponent replies Rxc2 (rook c8→c2, captures queen).
3. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight d5→f6, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Rxc2 — rook c1→c2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, hanging piece, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r2rk1/pp3ppp/8/3nq3/P7/2N5/2Q2PPP/2R1R1K1 b - - 3 26

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.