Chess Puzzle #9IxTB — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1963 · Advanced · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rook f1; knight g4; pawns a4/b5/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d6; rooks a8/e3; pawns a7/b6/c5/f6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd3 — rook e3→d3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nh6+ — knight g4→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king g8→g7).
  3. Best move: Nf5+ — knight h6→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g7→f8).
  4. Best move: Nxd6 — knight f5→d6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Nh6+.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/p4p1p/1p1q1p2/1Pp5/P1Q2PN1/4r2P/6P1/5RK1 b - - 1 23

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