Chess Puzzle #S1ryV — Expert, Black to move, opening

Rating 2040 · Expert · equality, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king e1; queen a4; rooks a1/h1; bishops d6/g2; knight h4; pawns a2/b2/c4/e2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishop g6; knight d7; pawns a6/b7/c5/d4/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be5 — bishop d6→e5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb2 — queen b6→b2, captures pawn. Opponent replies O-O (king e1→g1).
  3. Best move: Bc2 — bishop g6→c2. Opponent replies Qa5 (queen a4→a5).
  4. Best move: Nxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame. The key move Qxb2 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/1p1n1ppp/pq1Bp1b1/2p5/Q1Pp3N/6P1/PP2PPBP/R3K2R w KQkq - 1 15

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