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

Rating 1817 · Advanced · crushing, discovered attack, discovered check, intermezzo, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h7; rook d1; bishops b2/c4; knight g1; pawns a2/c2/c3/d3/f3. Black: king e8; queen d8; rook a8; bishops f6/g4; knight e5; pawns a6/b7/c7/e7/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc4 — knight e5→c4, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg8+ — queen h7→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Kd7 (king e8→d7).
  3. Best move: dxc4+ — pawn d3→c4, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, discovered attack, discovered check, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move dxc4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qk3/1pp1pp1Q/p4bp1/4n3/2B3b1/2PP1P2/PBP5/2KR2N1 b q - 0 17

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