Chess Puzzle #5NXsD — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1629 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen e7; rooks d3/h1; knight f5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f3/g4/h7. Black: king h8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; knight f4; pawns a6/b4/d6/f6/g5/g6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf5 — bishop d7→f5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc7 — queen e7→c7, captures queen. Opponent replies Bxd3 (bishop f5→d3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: cxd3 — pawn c2→d3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/2qbQ2P/p2p1pp1/5Np1/1p3nP1/3R1P2/PPP5/1K5R b - - 1 25

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