Chess Puzzle #4NQ6S — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1040 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e5; rooks d1/h1; knights d5/g1; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c8; rooks a8/h8; bishop g7; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/e7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: O-O — king e8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight d5→e7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Nxc8 — knight e7→c8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1q1k2r/pp2ppbp/5np1/3NQ3/8/8/PPP2PPP/3RK1NR b Kkq - 4 12

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