Chess Puzzle #7nHoo — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g3; queen f7; rook f3; knight c3; pawns a3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen a1; rooks h1/h8; knight f8; pawns a7/b7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa3 — queen a1→a3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ne4 — knight c3→e4. Opponent replies Qa1 (queen a3→a1).
3. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen a1→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Rxf6 — rook f3→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame, pin, quiet move. The key move is Ne4.

Position data

FEN: 5n1r/pp3Qpk/7p/8/8/P1N2RKP/5PP1/q6r b - - 4 25

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