Chess Puzzle #8jSFt — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1508 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king h1; queen d1; rook b7; knight f5; pawns a4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rook d8; knight f6; pawns a7/d4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: d3 — pawn d4→d3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne7+ — knight f5→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Nc6 — knight e7→c6. Opponent replies Qc3 (queen a5→c3).
  4. Best move: Nxd8 — knight c6→d8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Ne7+.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/pR3ppp/5n2/q4N2/P2p4/5P1P/6P1/3Q3K b - - 0 30

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