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

Rating 1676 · Advanced · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen b4; rooks d1/e1; knight g6; pawns a3/c5/d4/g2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen d5; rooks b8/e8; knights b7/e4; pawns c7/e6/f5/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nbd6 — knight b7→d6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb8 — queen b4→b8, captures rook. Opponent replies Rxb8 (rook e8→b8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ne7+ — knight g6→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  4. Best move: Nxd5 — knight e7→d5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Qxb8 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 1r2r1k1/1np3p1/4p1Np/2Pq1p2/1Q1Pn3/P5P1/6PP/3RR1K1 b - - 2 30

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