Chess Puzzle #JYf8f — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1439 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king f1; queen h1; knight g3; pawns a4/b3/c2/d3/f2. Black: king h6; queen d6; knight f4; pawns a7/c5/c6/d4/g4/g6/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nh5 — knight f4→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh5+ — queen h1→h5, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies gxh5 (pawn g6→h5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nf5+ — knight g3→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king h6→g6).
  4. Best move: Nxd6 — knight f5→d6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move Qxh5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/p5p1/2pq2pk/2p5/P2p1np1/1P1P2N1/2P2P2/5K1Q b - - 11 35

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