Chess Puzzle #45owZ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1550 · Intermediate · endgame, equality, short.

Position

White: king h1; rooks d1/e1; knight d7; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; rooks d8/e7; pawns a7/b7/c4/c7/e5/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxd1 — rook d8→d1, captures rook. Opponent replies Rxd1 (rook e1→d1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Rxe5 — rook e7→e5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, short. The key move Rxd1 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 3r3k/pppNr1p1/7p/4p3/2p5/6P1/PPP2P1P/3RR2K w - - 1 21

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