Chess Puzzle #mgoiZ — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2378 · Expert · advantage, fork, intermezzo, master, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king c1; queen c3; rooks d1/h1; bishop f4; knight b6; pawns a2/b2/c5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rook f8; bishops c8/g7; knight d4; pawns b7/e7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc8 — knight b6→c8, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight d4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kc2 (king c1→c2).
  3. Best move: Qxc8 — queen d8→c8, captures knight. Opponent replies Qc4 (queen c3→c4).
  4. Best move: Qf5+ — queen c8→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kb3 (king c2→b3).
  5. Best move: Nxf4 — knight e2→f4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, intermezzo, master, middlegame, very long. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: 2bq1rk1/1p2ppbp/1N4p1/2P5/3n1B2/2Q5/PP3PPP/2KR3R w - - 0 18

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