Chess Puzzle #8i1YI — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1451 · Intermediate · crushing, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rooks d1/f1; knight g3; pawns a2/b3/f3/h2. Black: king g7; queen a8; rook f6; bishop g5; knight f4; pawns a7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne4 — knight g3→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight f4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  3. Best move: Nxc3 — knight e2→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: q7/p4pkp/5rp1/6b1/5n2/1PQ2PN1/P6P/3R1RK1 w - - 1 29

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