Chess Puzzle #CEbRd — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1799 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, master, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen f3; rook c1; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/d4/e3/f2/f4. Black: king e7; queen d6; rook c8; knight f6; pawns a6/b5/d5/e6/f7/g6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd5+ — knight c3→d5, captures pawn, gives check. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd5 — queen d6→d5, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxd5 (queen f3→d5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxc1+ — rook c8→c1, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, master, short. The key move Rxc1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r5/4kp2/p2qpnp1/1p1p4/3P1P2/P1N1PQ2/1P3P2/2R1K3 w - - 0 25

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