Chess Puzzle #GhkxF — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1441 · Intermediate · advantage, defensive move, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/d3; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d4; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc7+ — knight d5→c7, captures pawn, gives check. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Kd8 — king e8→d8. Opponent replies Qf3 (queen d1→f3).
  3. Best move: Kxc7 — king d8→c7, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, opening, short. The key move is Kd8.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/pppp1ppp/2n5/2bN4/3qPP2/3B4/PPP3PP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 1 10

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