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

Rating 1510 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king g1; rooks d2/f1; bishop e2; pawns b5/c4/d5/e3/f2/g2/g3. Black: king e8; rooks a8/h8; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/c5/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kd7 — king e8→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f4 — pawn f2→f4. Opponent replies Nxc4 (knight e5→c4, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Bxc4 — bishop e2→c4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp2pp1p/3p2p1/1PpPn3/2P5/4P1P1/3RBPP1/5RK1 b kq - 2 19

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