Chess Puzzle #9BrzY — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1402 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rooks b1/c6; bishop c4; pawns b6/c2/d3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen g5; rooks b8/d8; knight e5; pawns e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc5 — rook c6→c5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight e5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen g5→c5, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Nf3+.

Position data

FEN: 1r1r2k1/5ppp/1PR1p3/4n1q1/2B5/2QP3P/2P2PP1/1R4K1 w - - 1 35

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