Chess Puzzle #IxNJU — Advanced, White to move, opening

Position

White: king e1; queen a4; rooks a1/h2; bishop c1; knights b5/g1; pawns a2/b2/d5/e4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops a6/f8; knights b8/g8; pawns c3/c7/d6/e5/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd7 — queen d8→d7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxc7+ — knight b5→c7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
3. Best move: Qxd7+ — queen a4→d7, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Nxd7 (knight b8→d7, captures queen).
4. Best move: Nxa8 — knight c7→a8, captures rook. Opponent replies cxb2 (pawn c3→b2, captures pawn).
5. Best move: Bxb2 — bishop c1→b2, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

discovered attack, equality, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move Nxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rn1qkbnr/2p2pp1/b2p3p/1N1Pp3/Q3P3/2p2P1P/PP4PR/R1B1K1N1 b Qkq - 1 11

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.