Chess Puzzle #l6b20 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1861 · Advanced · advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, pin, queenside attack, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen h3; rooks c1/f1; bishop f4; knight c4; pawns f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen a2; rooks d8/h8; bishop f8; knight d4; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: f5 — pawn f7→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nb6+ — knight c4→b6, gives check. Opponent replies axb6 (pawn a7→b6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxc7+ — rook c1→c7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, pin, queenside attack, sacrifice, short. The key move Rxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2kr1b1r/ppp2ppp/8/8/2Nn1B2/7Q/q4PPP/2R2RK1 b - - 3 17

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

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