Chess Puzzle #4ptLU — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops d2/f1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c4/d4/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a5; rooks a8/h8; bishops f8/g4; knights c6/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/e7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qb6 — queen a5→b6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: c5 — pawn c4→c5. Opponent replies Qxb2 (queen b6→b2, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Bc3 — bishop d2→c3. Opponent replies Qxc3+ (queen b2→c3, captures bishop, gives check).
4. Best move: Nxc3 — knight b1→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, opening, trapped piece. The key move is c5.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/ppp1pppp/2n2n2/q7/2PP1Pb1/5N2/PP1B2PP/RN1QKB1R b KQkq - 2 7

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.