Chess Puzzle #9bfZN — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2250 · Expert · attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, sacrifice, very long.

Position

White: king g2; queen d2; rook c2; knight e2; pawns b4/c3/d4/f6/g4/h3. Black: king h8; rooks a8/e8; knight g6; pawns b7/c6/d5/f7/g5/h6. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ra2 — rook c2→a2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxa2 — rook a8→a2, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxa2 (queen d2→a2, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Rxe2+ — rook e8→e2, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe2 (queen a2→e2, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Nf4+ — knight g6→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g2→f1).
  5. Best move: Nxe2 — knight f4→e2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, sacrifice, very long. The key move Rxe2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3r2k/1p3p2/2p2Pnp/3p2p1/1P1P2P1/2P4P/2RQN1K1/8 w - - 1 33

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