Chess Puzzle #XULAQ — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1808 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks d1/f1; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b7; rooks f5/f8; knight d5; pawns a6/b5/c4/h6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne5 — knight f3→e5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf4 — knight d5→f4. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen d4→f4, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxf4 — rook f5→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Nf4.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1q5p/p6p/1p1n1r2/2pQ4/2P2N2/PP3PPP/3R1RK1 w - - 6 30

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