Chess Puzzle #5MrDA — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1030 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h4; rooks g1/h1; bishop b3; knight e4; pawns b2/c2/f3. Black: king b7; queen a6; rook d8; bishops e5/g6; knight d7; pawns b5/c6/f4/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf6 — knight d7→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc5+ — knight e4→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Ka7 (king b7→a7).
  3. Best move: Nxa6 — knight c5→a6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nc5+.

Position data

FEN: 3r4/1k1n1pp1/q1p3bp/1p2b3/4Np1Q/1B3P2/1PP5/2K3RR b - - 1 28

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