Chess Puzzle #WhE0O — Advanced, White to move, opening

Rating 1838 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishops b2/e6; knights b5/e5; pawns a4/b3/d3/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/d8; bishop e7; knights c6/f6; pawns a6/b7/c5/e3/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc4 — knight e5→c4. Opponent replies axb5 (pawn a6→b5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Nxb6 — knight c4→b6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Nc4.

Position data

FEN: r2r2k1/1p2bppp/pqn1Bn2/1Np1N3/P4P2/1P1Pp3/1B4PP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 16

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