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

Rating 1716 · Advanced · advantage, intermezzo, kingside attack, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rooks d1/f1; knight d6; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop e7; pawns a6/b5/e6/f5/f7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rad8 — rook a8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf5 — knight d6→f5, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen c7→f4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight f5→e7, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king g8→g7).
  4. Best move: gxf4 — pawn g3→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, intermezzo, kingside attack, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/2q1bp1p/p2Np3/1p3p2/5Q2/6P1/PPP2P1P/3R1RK1 b - - 3 20

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

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