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

Rating 1797 · Advanced · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen b2; bishops d2/g2; knight c6; pawns a3/a5/e5/f4/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen a6; rook d8; bishop d3; knight d5; pawns b6/e6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd7 — rook d8→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nb8 — knight c6→b8. Opponent replies Qc8 (queen a6→c8).
  3. Best move: Nxd7 — knight b8→d7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nb8.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/5pp1/qpN1p2p/P2nP3/5P1P/P2b2P1/1Q1B2B1/7K b - - 0 31

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