Chess Puzzle #C3Ca5 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2643 · Master · advantage, long, opening, pin.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishop g6; knight e5; pawns a2/c2/c3/d4/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knights b8/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nd7 — knight b8→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5 — queen d1→h5. Opponent replies Nxe5 (knight d7→e5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: dxe5 — pawn d4→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Qc5+ (queen e7→c5, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kh1 — king g1→h1.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, opening, pin. The key move is Qh5.

Position data

FEN: rnb2k1r/ppp1q1pp/5nB1/4N3/3P4/2P5/P1P3PP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 4 14

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