Chess Puzzle #MGyku — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1417 · Intermediate · crushing, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king c1; queen d2; rook g1; bishop h6; knight f3; pawns a2/c2/c3/e2/e5/h4. Black: king g8; queen a4; rook a8; knight e4; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd5 — queen d2→d5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa3+ — queen a4→a3, gives check. Opponent replies Kd1 (king c1→d1).
  3. Best move: Nxc3+ — knight e4→c3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ke1 (king d1→e1).
  4. Best move: Nxd5 — knight c3→d5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Nxc3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/ppp2p1p/6pB/3pP3/q3n2P/2P2N2/P1PQP3/2K3R1 w - - 2 20

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