Chess Puzzle #7jWwN — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1426 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g6; rook g3; knight g4; pawns a2/b2/c3/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d7; rooks a8/f4; bishop g7; pawns a6/b6/c7/d6/e5/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf7 — queen d7→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxh6+ — knight g4→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Nxf7 — knight h6→f7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Nxh6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/2pq2b1/pp1p2Qp/3Pp3/5rN1/2P3R1/PP3PPP/6K1 b - - 3 26

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