Chess Puzzle #nYxE5 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1926 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c7; rooks a1/f1; bishop g5; knights d2/e5; pawns a2/b2/d3/e4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b5; rooks a8/f8; bishop b4; knights e2/f6; pawns a7/b7/e6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ndc4 — knight d2→c4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rac8 — rook a8→c8. Opponent replies a4 (pawn a2→a4).
  3. Best move: Qa6 — queen b5→a6.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Rac8.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppQ3pp/4pn2/1q2N1B1/1b2P3/3P3P/PP1NnPP1/R4R1K w - - 1 17

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