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

Rating 2218 · Expert · crushing, endgame, master, quiet move, short.

Position

White: king b3; queen c6; rook e6; knight f7; pawns a2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king b7; queen f4; rook f8; knight f6; pawns a7/b6/c3/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kb8 — king b7→b8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd6 — knight f7→d6. Opponent replies Qxd6 (queen f4→d6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxd6 — rook e6→d6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, master, quiet move, short. The key move is Nd6.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/pkp2Npp/1pQ1Rn2/8/5q2/1Kp5/P1P3PP/8 b - - 3 25

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