Chess Puzzle #iLMgo — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f2; queen e1; rook d1; bishop e3; knight a3; pawns b2/c2/f3/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a2; rooks a8/h8; bishops a6/e5; pawns a7/c6/c7/d7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen a2→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bd4 — bishop e3→d4. Opponent replies O-O (king e8→g8).
3. Best move: Bxb2 — bishop d4→b2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Bd4.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/p1pp1p1p/b1p3p1/4b3/8/N3BP2/qPP2KPP/3RQ3 b kq - 1 17

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.