Chess Puzzle #5gSXb — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1530 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g1; rooks a1/g2; bishop c2; knight g7; pawns a2/b2/c3/d3/e4/f3/h2. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a8/f8; bishops e6/f4; pawns a6/b5/c5/d6/e5/f7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh7 — king g8→h7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nh5 — knight g7→h5. Opponent replies Qg5 (queen f6→g5).
  3. Best move: Rxg5 — rook g2→g5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Nh5.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/5pN1/p2pbq1p/1pp1p3/4Pb2/2PP1P2/PPB3RP/R5QK b - - 0 26

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