Chess Puzzle #Elp7W — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1581 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; rooks a1/g1; bishop e3; knight d4; pawns a4/b3/b5/f2/h2. Black: king e8; rooks a8/h8; bishop g7; knight f3; pawns e7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke2 — king e1→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nxd4+ — knight f3→d4, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Bxd4 (bishop e3→d4, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop g7→d4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/4ppbp/6p1/1P6/P2N4/1P2Bn2/5P1P/R3K1R1 w Qkq - 1 22

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