Chess Puzzle #OOogy — Advanced, White to move, opening

Rating 1887 · Advanced · advantage, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen b3; rooks a1/d1; bishops e2/e3; knight d2; pawns a3/b4/d4/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks c2/f8; bishop e4; knights e7/f5; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd4 — knight f5→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop e3→d4, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxd4 (queen b6→d4, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Nxe4 — knight d2→e4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qb2 (queen d4→b2).
  4. Best move: Qxb2 — queen b3→b2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move Bxd4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pp2nppp/1q2p3/3pPn2/1P1Pb3/PQ2B3/2rNBPPP/R2R2K1 b - - 12 18

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