Chess Puzzle #iA2Zy — Expert, Black to move, opening

Rating 2217 · Expert · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king e1; queen d2; rooks a1/h1; bishops b2/g2; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b3/c2/d3/e2/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen b4; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f6; knights c6/d5; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: a3 — pawn a2→a3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc3 — queen b4→c3, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxc3 (bishop b2→c3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxc3 — bishop f6→c3, captures bishop. Opponent replies e4 (pawn e2→e4).
  4. Best move: Bxd2+ — bishop c3→d2, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Bxd2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/ppp2ppp/2n2b2/3n4/1q6/1PNP1NP1/PBPQP1BP/R3K2R w KQkq - 3 12

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