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

Rating 1549 · Intermediate · advantage, deflection, discovered attack, kingside attack, long, master.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks a1/e1; bishop h4; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e8; rooks a8/e7; bishop b6; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re6 — rook e7→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf6 (rook e6→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen e2→e8, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe8 (rook a8→e8, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Rxe8+ — rook e1→e8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, discovered attack, kingside attack, long, master, middlegame. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3q1k1/ppp1r1pp/1bn2p2/8/4N2B/8/PPP1QPPP/R3R1K1 b - - 2 20

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