Chess Puzzle #5Cpt9 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1684 · Advanced · advantage, discovered attack, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen b5; rooks d1/h1; bishop g3; knight d4; pawns a3/b3/c2/e3/f2/g5. Black: king h8; queen e4; rooks a8/e8; knight d5; pawns a5/b7/f5/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb7 — queen b5→b7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc3+ — knight d5→c3, gives check. Opponent replies Kc1 (king b1→c1).
  3. Best move: Qxb7 — queen e4→b7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nc3+.

Position data

FEN: r3r2k/1p5p/8/pQ1n1pP1/3Nq3/PP2P1B1/2P2P2/1K1R3R w - - 1 36

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