Chess Puzzle #452nJ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1497 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rook d4; bishop d5; pawns a3/c4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen c7; rook e8; knight d6; pawns b4/b6/f5/f6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: axb4 — pawn a3→b4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nb5 — knight d6→b5. Opponent replies Qd2 (queen c3→d2).
  3. Best move: Nxd4 — knight b5→d4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Nb5.

Position data

FEN: 4r3/2q3kp/1p1n1pp1/3B1p2/1pPR4/P1Q4P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 34

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.