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

Rating 1536 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king b2; rook e1; knight c6; pawns f2/g2/h2. Black: king d3; rook a7; bishop a2; pawns b3/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rb7 — rook a7→b7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re3+ — rook e1→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Kc4 (king d3→c4).
  3. Best move: Na5+ — knight c6→a5, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Re3+.

Position data

FEN: 8/r4p1p/2N3p1/8/8/1p1k4/bK3PPP/4R3 b - - 3 30

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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