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

Rating 1411 · Intermediate · advantage, hanging piece, intermezzo, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g3; rooks a1/f1; knights f5/h3; pawns a2/c3/e4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop g6; knight e7; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg3 — queen c7→g3, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight f5→e7, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  3. Best move: hxg3 — pawn h2→g3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, hanging piece, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppq1npp1/6bp/5N2/4P3/2P3QN/P5PP/R4R1K b - - 2 21

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