Chess Puzzle #7VLx2 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen c7; knight f3; pawns b4/e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen b1; bishop a8; pawns b5/c4/d5/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxb4 — queen b1→b4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ng5 — knight f3→g5. Opponent replies Qf8 (queen b4→f8).
3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight g5→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king g7→g8).
4. Best move: Nxf8 — knight e6→f8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, pin. The key move is Ng5.

Position data

FEN: b7/2Q2pkp/6p1/1p1p4/1Pp5/4PN1P/5PPK/1q6 b - - 2 34

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