Chess Puzzle #4Hcis — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1254 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a4; rook d7; bishops e3/f1; pawns c4/e4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c8; rook e8; bishop e5; knight a2; pawns a6/c5/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd1 — rook d7→d1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc3 — knight a2→c3. Opponent replies Qb3 (queen a4→b3).
  3. Best move: Nxd1 — knight c3→d1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nc3.

Position data

FEN: 2q1r1k1/3R1p1p/p5p1/2p1b3/Q1P1P3/4BP1P/n5P1/5BK1 w - - 0 37

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