Chess Puzzle #ibP9K — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1868 · Advanced · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f5; rooks d1/f1; knight e4; pawns b2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen a2; rooks a8/f8; bishop f6; pawns a6/c6/d3/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen a2→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxd3 — rook d1→d3, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/5ppp/p1p2b2/5Q2/4N3/2Pp4/qP3PPP/3R1R1K b - - 0 22

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