Chess Puzzle #l7ONy — Expert, Black to move, opening

Rating 2020 · Expert · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks a1/f1; bishops e2/e3; knights c3/d4; pawns a2/b2/c4/e4/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/f8; bishops d7/g7; knights c6/g4; pawns a7/b7/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Na4 — knight c3→a4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop g7→d4, captures knight. Opponent replies Nxb6 (knight a4→b6, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxe3+ — bishop d4→e3, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe3 (queen d2→e3, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Nxe3 — knight g4→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Bxe3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp1bppbp/1qnp2p1/8/2PNPPn1/2N1B3/PP1QB1PP/R4RK1 w - - 3 12

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