Chess Puzzle #4rG64 — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1172 · Beginner · advantage, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen f5; rooks a1/h1; bishops d2/g2; knights d5/g1; pawns a3/b2/c2/e5/f2/h2. Black: king b8; queen h4; rooks d8/h8; bishop c5; knights d4/g8; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd3 — queen f5→d3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nxc2+ — knight d4→c2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd1 (king e1→d1).
  3. Best move: Nxa1 — knight c2→a1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short. The key move Nxc2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r2nr/pp3ppp/8/2bNPQ2/3n3q/P7/1PPB1PBP/R3K1NR w KQ - 3 14

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