Chess Puzzle #GcS4t — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, exposed king, fork, long.

Position

White: king d1; rook c7; knight g5; pawns c4/d3/f4/g3/h3. Black: king f8; rook h2; knight d4; pawns c5/e6/g7/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxc5 — rook c7→c5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rh1+ — rook h2→h1, gives check. Opponent replies Kd2 (king d1→d2).
  3. Best move: Nb3+ — knight d4→b3, gives check. Opponent replies Ke3 (king d2→e3).
  4. Best move: Nxc5 — knight b3→c5, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, exposed king, fork, long. The key move is Rh1+.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/2R3p1/4p3/2p3Np/2Pn1P2/3P2PP/7r/3K4 w - - 3 39

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