Chess Puzzle #ZxAS7 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1824 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen f5; rook f1; bishop e3; pawns a4/c5/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h7; queen d3; rook c7; knight c3; pawns a6/e4/f7/g6/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh3 — queen f5→h3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight c3→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Nf4 — knight e2→f4. Opponent replies Qxh6+ (queen h3→h6, captures pawn, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kxh6 — king h7→h6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: 8/2r2p1k/p5pp/2P2Q2/P2Pp3/2nqB3/5PPP/5RK1 w - - 0 45

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