Chess Puzzle #4sv08 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1223 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen d2; bishop f2; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen e7; rook f1; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/g4/g5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh3 — pawn g4→h3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf5+ — knight d4→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g7→f7).
  3. Best move: Nxe7 — knight f5→e7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Nf5+.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp1nq1k1/2p5/3p2p1/3N2p1/3P3P/PPPQ1BPK/5r2 b - - 1 30

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