Chess Puzzle #t8JOa — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e2; queen d8; rook h3; bishop f1; knight f3; pawns a3/d4/f2/g4. Black: king h7; queen a1; rooks a8/f7; bishop c8; knights b8/h6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/e6/g7. Black is ahead by 10 points of material. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qc3 — queen a1→c3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ng5+ — knight f3→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king h7→g6).
3. Best move: Rxc3 — rook h3→c3, captures queen. Opponent replies Nc6 (knight b8→c6).
4. Best move: Rxc6 — rook c3→c6, captures knight. Opponent replies bxc6 (pawn b7→c6, captures rook).
5. Best move: Ke1 — king e2→e1. Opponent replies Bb7 (bishop c8→b7).
6. Best move: Bd3+ — bishop f1→d3, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, discovered attack, fork, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move is Ng5+.

Position data

FEN: rnbQ4/ppp2rpk/4p2n/3p4/3P2P1/P4N1R/4KP2/q4B2 b - - 0 22

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