Chess Puzzle #SGXep — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1886 · Advanced · endgame, equality, fork, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; bishop h5; knight c5; pawns a3/b4/d4/g3/h2. Black: king b8; queen f6; rook d8; bishop c1; pawns a7/b7/d5/e4/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: b6 — pawn b7→b6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Na6+ — knight c5→a6, gives check. Opponent replies Kb7 (king b8→b7).
  3. Best move: Qc7+ — queen c3→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Ka8 (king b7→a8).
  4. Best move: Qxc1 — queen c7→c1, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, fork, long. The key move is Na6+.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r4/pp5p/5q2/2Np2pB/1P1Pp3/P1Q3P1/7P/2b3K1 b - - 2 27

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