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

Rating 1473 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; queen e2; rooks a1/f1; bishops d2/g2; knight d5; pawns a3/b2/c4/e4/g3/h4. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights c6/g4; pawns a6/b7/c7/d7/f7/h5. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nce5 — knight c6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bg5 — bishop d2→g5. Opponent replies Qxg5 (queen d8→g5, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: hxg5 — pawn h4→g5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Bg5.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/1ppp1p2/p1n5/2bN3p/2P1P1nP/P5P1/1P1BQ1B1/R4R1K b kq - 0 17

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.