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

Rating 2299 · Expert · crushing, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen g3; rooks b7/f1; knight d6; pawns d5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen a2; rooks a8/f8; bishop d4; pawns a7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd5 — queen a2→d5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf5 — knight d6→f5. Opponent replies e4 (pawn e5→e4).
  3. Best move: Ne7+ — knight f5→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: Nxd5 — knight e7→d5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is Nf5.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pR3ppp/3N4/3Pp3/3b4/6QP/q5P1/5R1K b - - 1 21

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