Chess Puzzle #d2W52 — Expert, White to move, opening

Rating 2027 · Expert · advantage, deflection, discovered attack, exposed king, fork, opening.

Position

White: king e1; queen h5; rooks a1/h1; bishop c1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e6; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knights b8/e4; pawns a7/b7/c5/d7/e7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf6 — knight e4→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng5+ — knight f3→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kd6 (king e6→d6).
  3. Best move: Nf7+ — knight g5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kc7 (king d6→c7).
  4. Best move: Qxc5+ — queen h5→c5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Nc6 (knight b8→c6).
  5. Best move: Nxd8 — knight f7→d8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, discovered attack, exposed king, fork, opening, pin, very long. The key move Qxc5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rnbq1b1r/pp1pp1pp/4k3/2p4Q/4n3/2P2N2/PP1P1PPP/RNB1K2R b KQ - 3 6

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