Chess Puzzle #IbVTE — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1492 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b3/c1; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/e4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights c6/e5; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf3+ — knight e5→f3, captures knight, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf3 — queen d1→f3, captures knight. Opponent replies O-O (king e8→g8).
  3. Best move: dxc5 — pawn d4→c5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short. The key move Qxf3 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/ppp2ppp/2np4/2b1n3/3PP3/1BN2N2/PPP3PP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 0 8

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