Chess Puzzle #G8gK7 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1893 · Advanced · advantage, defensive move, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e2; rooks a1/h1; bishop e3; knight b3; pawns a3/c2/c3/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b4; rooks a8/h8; knights a5/d7; pawns a7/b7/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3+ — queen b4→c3, captures pawn, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bd2 — bishop e3→d2. Opponent replies Qxc2 (queen c3→c2, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Nxa5 — knight b3→a5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, middlegame, short. The key move is Bd2.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp1npp1p/3p2p1/n7/1q2P3/PNP1BP2/2P1Q1PP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 14

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