Chess Puzzle #SFOQk — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1848 · Advanced · advantage, intermezzo, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen e2; rooks a1/d1; bishop c1; knights b5/f3; pawns a4/c3/c4/e4/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a5/f8; bishop e6; knight e8; pawns b6/c5/d6/e5/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen d8→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king f2→g2).
  3. Best move: dxe5 — pawn d6→e5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move is Qh4+.

Position data

FEN: 3qnrk1/5ppp/1p1pb3/rNp1p3/P1P1P1P1/2P2N1P/4QK2/R1BR4 w - - 3 17

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