Chess Puzzle #AwXbN — Expert, White to move, opening

Rating 2399 · Expert · advantage, hanging piece, long, opening.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rooks a1/f1; bishops b5/c1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops d7/f8; knights c6/e7; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight c6→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: fxe5 — pawn f4→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Qb6+ (queen d8→b6, gives check).
  3. Best move: Nd4 — knight f3→d4. Opponent replies Bxb5 (bishop d7→b5, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qxb5+ — queen d3→b5, captures bishop, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, hanging piece, long, opening. The key move Qxb5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/pp1bnppp/2n1p3/1B1pP3/5P2/2PQ1N2/PP4PP/RNB2RK1 b kq - 0 9

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