Chess Puzzle #9F06K — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1536 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e3; rooks d1/h1; bishop b3; knights a4/d4; pawns a2/b2/c2/f3/g4/h4. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks a8/h8; bishops b7/f8; knight d7; pawns a6/b4/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bd6 — bishop f8→d6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxe6 — knight d4→e6, captures pawn. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen e3→e6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/1bqn1pp1/p3p2p/8/Np1N2PP/1B2QP2/PPP5/2KR3R b kq - 0 16

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