Chess Puzzle #9J1oR — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1901 · Advanced · advantage, defensive move, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h2; queen d1; rooks c8/g3; knight g2; pawns a4/b4/d3/e4. Black: king h7; queen a2; rook f2; knight e2; pawns a7/b7/d6/e5/e6/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rg4 — rook g3→g4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf4 — knight e2→f4. Opponent replies Rxg7+ (rook g4→g7, captures pawn, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kxg7 — king h7→g7, captures rook. Opponent replies Qg4+ (queen d1→g4, gives check).
  4. Best move: Ng6 — knight f4→g6.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, long, middlegame. The key move is Nf4.

Position data

FEN: 2R5/pp4pk/3pp2p/4p3/PP2P3/3P2R1/q3nrNK/3Q4 w - - 12 32

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