Chess Puzzle #5I9tT — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1475 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, master, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen f5; rooks d5/h1; bishop g5; knight a4; pawns a2/c2/d6/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rook a8; bishop g7; knights c5/e4; pawns a6/b3/b4/e5/f7/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: axb3 — pawn a2→b3, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nxb3+ — knight c5→b3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies cxb3 (pawn c2→b3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxd5 — queen a5→d5, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, master, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The key move Nxb3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/5pb1/p2P4/q1nRpQBp/Np2n3/1p4PP/P1P5/2K4R w - - 0 23

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