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

Rating 1708 · Advanced · equality, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knights c6/e7; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/g5/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxg5 — knight f3→g5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Nc3 (knight b1→c3).
  3. Best move: Qxg5 — queen a5→g5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qa5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/pp2np2/2np4/6pp/8/4PN1P/PPP2PP1/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 0 9

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