Chess Puzzle #ws66C — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2455 · Master · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e5; rooks a1/h1; bishop b3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/d4/g2/h4. Black: king h6; queen f2; rook c8; bishop f5; knight e3; pawns a7/b7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 6 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: a4 — pawn a2→a4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc4 — knight e3→c4. Opponent replies Qe2 (queen e5→e2).
  3. Best move: Qf4+ — queen f2→f4, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Nc4.

Position data

FEN: 2r5/pp6/6pk/4Qb1p/3P3P/1BN1n3/PP3qP1/R1K4R w - - 3 27

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