Chess Puzzle #9kCdD — Advanced, White to move, opening

Rating 1901 · Advanced · advantage, hanging piece, long, opening, queenside attack.

Position

White: king g1; queen b5; rooks a1/e1; bishops c1/c4; knights d2/e2; pawns a2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen e7; rooks d8/h8; bishops f5/f8; knights a5/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/e4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc4 — knight a5→c4, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf5+ — queen b5→f5, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Qd7 (queen e7→d7).
  3. Best move: Qxd7+ — queen f5→d7, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxd7 (rook d8→d7, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Nxc4 — knight d2→c4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, hanging piece, long, opening, queenside attack. The key move Qxf5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2kr1b1r/ppp1qppp/5n2/nQ3b2/2B1p3/2P5/P2NNPPP/R1B1R1K1 b - - 11 12

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