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

Rating 1909 · Advanced · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen h5; rooks e1/h1; knight d4; pawns b3/c2/c3/d3/g2/h4. Black: king g7; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/f4/g4/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: c5 — pawn c7→c5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne6+ — knight d4→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Bxe6 (bishop d7→e6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxe6 — rook e1→e6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne6+.

Position data

FEN: r2q1r2/pppb2k1/3p3p/7Q/3N1ppP/1PPP4/2P2KP1/4R2R b - - 1 20

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