Chess Puzzle #4rWzn — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1425 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rook c1; knight e3; pawns f2/g3/h2. Black: king h7; queen b4; rook b3; knight c3; pawns f7/g6/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc4 — queen d3→c4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc4 — queen b4→c4, captures queen. Opponent replies Nxc4 (knight e3→c4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ne2+ — knight c3→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  4. Best move: Nxc1 — knight e2→c1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move Qxc4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 8/5p1k/6pp/8/1q6/1rnQN1P1/5P1P/2R3K1 w - - 2 37

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