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

Rating 1428 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen d1; rooks c1/h1; bishop c4; knights c7/f3; pawns a2/b2/e5/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c5; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f2; knights b8/g4; pawns a7/b7/d7/g5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kd8 — king e8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne6+ — knight c7→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king d8→e7).
  3. Best move: Nxc5 — knight e6→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Ne6+.

Position data

FEN: rnb1k2r/ppNp2pp/8/2q1P1p1/2B3n1/5N2/PP3bPP/2RQ1K1R b kq - 0 12

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