Chess Puzzle #9vkG2 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1493 · Intermediate · advantage, defensive move, endgame, short.

Position

White: king f2; bishop f1; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/e4/f3/g5/h2. Black: king d8; knights e5/f4; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g6/g7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ned3+ — knight e5→d3, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ke3 — king f2→e3. Opponent replies Nxb2 (knight d3→b2, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Kxf4 — king e3→f4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, endgame, short. The key move is Ke3.

Position data

FEN: 3k4/pp3pp1/2p3p1/4n1P1/4Pn2/P1N2P2/1P3K1P/5B2 b - - 1 25

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.