Chess Puzzle #BjmpZ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1579 · Intermediate · advantage, attraction, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishop g2; knight d2; pawns a2/c4/e2/e4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c3; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight d4; pawns a7/b6/c5/d7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc1 — rook a1→c1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc1 — queen c3→c1, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxc1 (queen d1→c1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxe2+ — knight d4→e2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  4. Best move: Nxc1 — knight e2→c1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Nxe2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/p2p1ppp/1p6/2p5/2PnP3/2q3P1/P2NPPBP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 14

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