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

Rating 1529 · Intermediate · advantage, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b5/c1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d3/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops f8/g4; knights e5/f6; pawns a7/b7/c5/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nfd7 — knight f6→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxd1 (bishop g4→d1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxd7+ — bishop b5→d7, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qxd7 (queen d8→d7, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Nxd7 — knight e5→d7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Bxd7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/pp2pp1p/5np1/1Bp1n3/6b1/2PP1N2/PP4PP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 1 9

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