Chess Puzzle #4VeCy — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1153 · Beginner · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knights b3/g1; pawns a2/b2/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knights e5/g8; pawns a7/b7/c5/e6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc5 — knight b3→c5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Qd2 (queen d1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen a5→c5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qa5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk1nr/pp4pp/4p3/2pPn3/8/1N6/PP3PPP/R2QKBNR w KQkq - 0 10

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