Chess Puzzle #jW4EM — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1904 · Advanced · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h7; rooks d1/h1; bishops c4/e3; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f3/g5. Black: king f8; queen d8; rooks b8/e8; bishops e6/g7; knight d7; pawns a5/c5/d6/g6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg6 — queen h7→g6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne5 — knight d7→e5. Opponent replies Qf6+ (queen g6→f6, gives check).
  3. Best move: Bxf6 — bishop g7→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne5.

Position data

FEN: 1r1qrk2/3n2bQ/3pb1p1/p1pN2P1/2B1P3/4BP2/PPP5/2KR3R w - - 1 23

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