Chess Puzzle #r7GUy — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1840 · Advanced · deflection, discovered attack, equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop g2; knights d2/f3; pawns a3/b4/c2/d3/e2/h3. Black: king e8; queen f6; rook a8; bishops f5/f8; knight d4; pawns a6/b7/c7/d5/f7/g3/g5/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf1 — rook h1→f1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nxc2+ — knight d4→c2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxc2 (queen d1→c2, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxa1+ — queen f6→a1, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

deflection, discovered attack, equality, middlegame, short. The key move Nxc2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb2/1pp2p2/p4q1p/3p1bp1/1P1n4/P2P1NpP/2PNP1B1/R2QK2R w KQq - 2 13

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