Chess Puzzle #W0qSA — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2061 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rook f1; bishops a2/b2; knight d5; pawns a3/b4/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c8; rooks a8/e8; bishops a7/f5; pawns a6/b7/c7/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be6 — bishop f5→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc3 — queen c4→c3. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  3. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight d5→f6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1q1r1k1/bpp2pp1/p6p/3N1b2/1PQ5/P7/BBP2PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 19

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