Chess Puzzle #4MPaG — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1421 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishop d8; knight a4; pawns a2/c3/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen a6; rook h8; bishops d7/e7; knight g8; pawns b7/c6/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxd8 — bishop e7→d8, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc5 — knight a4→c5. Opponent replies Nf6 (knight g8→f6).
  3. Best move: Nxa6 — knight c5→a6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Nc5.

Position data

FEN: 2kB2nr/1p1bbppp/q1p1p3/8/N3P3/2P5/P4PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 14

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.