Chess Puzzle #Ed7jZ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1452 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen b3; rooks d2/h1; bishop f3; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/b7/d4/f2. Black: king b8; queen f4; rooks d8/h8; bishop f5; knight b6; pawns a7/c7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd4 — rook d8→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc6+ — knight e5→c6, gives check. Opponent replies Kxb7 (king b8→b7, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Nxd4+ — knight c6→d4, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Nxd4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r3r/pPp2ppp/1n2p3/4Nb2/3P1q2/1Q3B2/PP1R1P2/2K4R b - - 0 23

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