Chess Puzzle #J9h3B — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks c1/f1; bishops d2/e2; knights b5/e1; pawns a5/b4/c5/d5/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen h5; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/g7; knights f6/h6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/e5/f4/g4/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc7 — knight b5→c7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: g3 — pawn g4→g3. Opponent replies h3 (pawn h2→h3).
  3. Best move: Bxh3 — bishop c8→h3, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is g3.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/ppp3bp/3p1n1n/PNPPp2q/1P2Ppp1/5P2/3BB1PP/2RQNRK1 w - - 3 20

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