Chess Puzzle #rQjCo — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; rook f1; knight h4; pawns a2/b3/d3/d5/e4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b2; rooks a8/e8; knight g7; pawns a6/b4/c5/d6/e7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa2 — queen b2→a2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nf5 — knight h4→f5. Opponent replies Qb2 (queen a2→b2).
3. Best move: d4 — pawn d3→d4. Opponent replies Qxd4 (queen b2→d4, captures pawn).
4. Best move: Nxd4 — knight f5→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move is Nf5.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/4p1np/p2p4/2pP2Q1/1p2P2N/1P1P3P/Pq3PP1/5RK1 b - - 4 27

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.