Chess Puzzle #sk4pE — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1872 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f3; queen h4; rook f7; bishop b3; knight e5; pawns a4/b2/d4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c1; rooks c2/c8; knights b6/e3; pawns a5/b4/e6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd1+ — queen c1→d1, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ke4 — king f3→e4. Opponent replies Qg4+ (queen d1→g4, gives check).
  3. Best move: Nxg4 — knight e5→g4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Ke4.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/5R1p/1n2p1p1/p3N3/Pp1P3Q/1B2nKP1/1Pr2P1P/2q5 b - - 4 33

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