Chess Puzzle #VueRB — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2246 · Expert · advantage, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rook e1; bishop b1; knight e5; pawns a3/c3/f2/g2/g3. Black: king g8; queen g5; rook d8; bishops b7/b8; pawns a6/b6/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h5 — pawn h7→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf7 — knight e5→f7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qd5 (queen g5→d5).
  3. Best move: Be4 — bishop b1→e4. Opponent replies Qxe4 (queen d5→e4, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qxe4 — queen e2→e4, captures queen. Opponent replies Bxe4 (bishop b7→e4, captures queen).
  5. Best move: Nxd8 — knight f7→d8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, very long. The key move Nxf7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 1b1r2k1/1b3ppp/pp2p3/4N1q1/8/P1P3P1/4QPP1/1B2R1K1 b - - 0 26

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