Chess Puzzle #m75y9 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2330 · Expert · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rook d1; bishop c4; knights c3/f5; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rook a8; bishop g7; knights c5/e5; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf6 — queen d8→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd5 — knight c3→d5. Opponent replies Qxf5 (queen f6→f5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Ne7+ — knight d5→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: Nxf5 — knight e7→f5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move is Nd5.

Position data

FEN: r2q2k1/ppp2pbp/6p1/2n1nN2/2B2Q2/2N5/PPP3PP/3R2K1 b - - 4 18

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