Chess Puzzle #EG9YF — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1824 · Advanced · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks d1/e7; bishop f4; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen c6; rooks a8/f8; knight f6; pawns a5/c3/c4/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen d4→c3, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd5 — knight f6→d5. Opponent replies Rxd5 (rook d1→d5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxd5 — queen c6→d5, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nd5.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/4Rppp/2q2n2/p7/2pQ1B2/2p5/PPP2PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 22

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