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

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rooks d7/f1; bishop a2; knights c3/g5; pawns a3/b2/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bxd7 — bishop c8→d7, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nd5 — knight c3→d5. Opponent replies cxd5 (pawn c6→d5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxc7 — queen c2→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Nd5.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/ppqR1pp1/2p2n1p/6N1/8/P1N1P3/BPQ2PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 16

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.