Chess Puzzle #83caf — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king a1; queen d2; rooks f1/g1; knight e5; pawns a3/b2/d4/e3/h3. Black: king g8; queen g6; rooks b8/e8; bishops c4/g3; pawns a7/c7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qa6 — queen g6→a6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxc4 — knight e5→c4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxc4 (queen a6→c4, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rc1 — rook f1→c1. Opponent replies Qd5 (queen c4→d5).
4. Best move: Rxg3 — rook g1→g3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame. The key move Nxc4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 1r2r1k1/p1p3p1/6qp/4N3/2bP4/P3P1bP/1P1Q4/K4RR1 b - - 8 28

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