Chess Puzzle #9eR9d — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1635 · Advanced · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h2; queen f4; rook e6; bishop g2; knight g5; pawns a3/b3/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g7; queen d8; rooks b8/h8; bishop e7; knight f6; pawns b5/d4/d5/g6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rb7 — rook b8→b7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf6 — rook e6→f6, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxf6 (bishop e7→f6, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight g5→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g7→f7).
  4. Best move: Nxd8+ — knight e6→d8, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Nxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1r1q3r/4b1k1/4Rnp1/1p1p2N1/3p1Q2/PP4PP/5PBK/8 b - - 5 29

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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