Chess Puzzle #Iczeq — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1606 · Advanced · advantage, intermezzo, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks d1/e2; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d4; rooks b8/f8; knight d5; pawns a7/c6/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf4 — queen d4→f4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxd5 — knight c3→d5, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxf3 (queen f4→f3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ne7+ — knight d5→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: gxf3 — pawn g2→f3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, intermezzo, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Nxd5 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 1r3rk1/p4ppp/2p1p3/3n4/3q4/2N2Q1P/PP2RPP1/3R2K1 b - - 3 17

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