Chess Puzzle #JbsW3 — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1408 · Intermediate · crushing, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king f1; queen e6; rook a1; bishop c1; knights c5/g1; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/e4/f2/f5/h2. Black: king e8; queen h1; rooks a8/h8; bishops c6/d6; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/c7/d4/e5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kd8 — king e8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bg5+ — bishop c1→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Nf6 (knight g4→f6).
  3. Best move: Bxf6+ — bishop g5→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qxf6+ — queen e6→f6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame. The key move Bxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/ppp3pp/2bbQ3/2N1pP2/3pP1n1/3P4/PPP2P1P/R1B2KNq b kq - 5 18

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