Chess Puzzle #B2s44 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1896 · Advanced · advantage, deflection, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/f1; knight e6; pawns a2/b2/c4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king e8; queen d2; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knight d7; pawns a6/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf6 — knight d7→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxc7+ — knight e6→c7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
  3. Best move: Qxf7 — queen h5→f7, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Nxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/1ppn1ppp/p3N3/7Q/2P5/7P/PP1q1PP1/R4RK1 b kq - 0 15

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