Chess Puzzle #AQbNL — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1432 · Intermediate · endgame, equality, fork, long.

Position

White: king h1; queen e1; rook d1; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen c5; rooks a8/h8; bishop g4; pawns a7/b7/f4/f7/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxd1 — bishop g4→d1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd7+ — knight e5→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king f8→g7).
  3. Best move: Nxc5 — knight d7→c5, captures queen. Opponent replies Rhe8 (rook h8→e8).
  4. Best move: Qxd1 — queen e1→d1, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, fork, long. The key move is Nd7+.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/pp3p2/6p1/2q1N2p/5pb1/2P5/PP4PP/3RQ2K b - - 1 22

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