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

Rating 1793 · Advanced · advantage, defensive move, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h2; rooks d1/f1; bishop h4; knight f5; pawns a2/b4/c3/e4/f3/g2. Black: king h8; queen d2; rook f8; bishop a7; knight h7; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/e5/h5. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf4+ — queen d2→f4, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: g3 — pawn g2→g3. Opponent replies Rxf5 (rook f8→f5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: gxf4 — pawn g3→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is g3.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/bpp4n/p2p4/4pN1p/1P2P2B/2P2P2/P2q2PK/3R1R2 b - - 1 31

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