Chess Puzzle #IXyQo — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; rooks c7/c8; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/e5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen a4; knight d4; pawns a7/d5/e6/f7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ng5 — knight f3→g5. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight d4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
3. Best move: Qf4+ — queen a4→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king h2→h1).
4. Best move: Qxg5 — queen f4→g5, captures knight.

Why this works

Black's knight and queen execute a forcing three-move sequence that wins White's knight on g5 with no compensation. After 1...Ne2+, the king is driven to h2 (forced; h1 allows Qf1#). Then 2...Qf4+ continues the attack along the h2-b8 diagonal, and the king must retreat to h1 (g1 allows Qf1#, g3 allows Qf3#). On move 3, Black simply captures 3...Qxg5, winning the knight outright. The rooks on c7 and c8 cannot intervene because they're too far from the kingside action. White's pawn shield (f2, g2, h3) is compromised; the king has no defender after Ng5 ventured forward without support. The knight on g5 is the only piece defending the kingside, and once it falls, White's position collapses.

What to practice

Recognize when an active enemy piece (here, the knight on g5) is undefended and vulnerable to a forcing sequence. The pattern is: identify which enemy piece lacks a defender, then look for checks that drive the king away while keeping that piece under attack. The knight had moved forward aggressively but lacked a retreat square or a piece to support it—a classic overextension. Train yourself to exploit this by forcing moves that separate the attacker from its escape routes.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: 2R5/p1R2pk1/4p1p1/3pP2p/q2n4/5N1P/PP3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 25

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