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

Rating 1420 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, pin, short.

Position

White: king d1; rook d2; bishops a4/c5; knight c4; pawns b2/b4/c3/g2. Black: king g6; queen e4; bishop d3; pawns b7/f6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxc4 — bishop d3→c4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc2 — bishop a4→c2. Opponent replies Bb3 (bishop c4→b3).
  3. Best move: Bxb3 — bishop c2→b3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, pin, short. The key move is Bc2.

Position data

FEN: 8/1p4pp/5pk1/2B5/BPN1q3/2Pb4/1P1R2P1/3K4 b - - 0 36

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