Chess Puzzle #C0HTA — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1986 · Advanced · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen d4; rook a1; bishop b3; knight f5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen g5; rooks a8/f8; knight g6; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne5 — knight g6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f4 — pawn f2→f4. Opponent replies Qf6 (queen g5→f6).
  3. Best move: fxe5 — pawn f4→e5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/1pp2ppp/p2p2n1/5Nq1/3QP3/1BP3P1/PP3P1P/R4K2 b - - 6 18

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