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

Rating 1231 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/d3; knights c3/d4; pawns a3/b3/c2/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/d6; knights b6/f6; pawns a6/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen c7→c3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxh7+ — bishop d3→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king g8→h7, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxc3 — queen f3→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, opening, short. The key move Bxh7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/1pq2ppp/pn1bpn2/3p4/3N1P2/PPNB1Q2/2P3PP/R1B2RK1 b - - 2 17

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