Chess Puzzle #6twuo — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rooks a1/e1; bishops c2/h4; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knights d6/e7; pawns a4/b5/c7/d7/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxd5 — knight e7→d5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qd3 — queen c3→d3. Opponent replies Nf4 (knight d5→f4).
3. Best move: Qxh7+ — queen d3→h7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Qxh7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rk1/2ppn1pp/3n1p2/1p1P4/p6B/2Q2N2/PPB2PPP/R3R1K1 b - - 1 16

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