Chess Puzzle #MI2CI — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1556 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen b4; rook f1; pawns a3/f2/g3/h4. Black: king g7; queen c2; knight c5; pawns d5/e5/f7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re1 — rook f1→e1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd3 — knight c5→d3. Opponent replies Rf1 (rook e1→f1).
  3. Best move: Nxb4 — knight d3→b4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Nd3.

Position data

FEN: 8/5pk1/6p1/2npp2p/1Q5P/P5P1/2q2P2/5RK1 w - - 0 40

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