Chess Puzzle #AmhyJ — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1659 · Advanced · crushing, deflection, long, middlegame, pin.

Position

White: king h2; queen g6; rook c1; bishop d5; knight g4; pawns c5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e7; rook f8; bishop f6; knight e2; pawns a3/a6/e5/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc1 — knight e2→c1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nh6+ — knight g4→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Nxf7+ — knight h6→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf7 (queen e7→f7, captures knight).
  4. Best move: Bxf7 — bishop d5→f7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, long, middlegame, pin. The key move Nxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/4qpp1/p4bQ1/2PBp3/6N1/p6P/4nPPK/2R5 b - - 2 36

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