Chess Puzzle #yQOcC — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g2; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/f3; knight h4; pawns a3/b2/d2/f4/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen e5; rooks a8/f8; bishops c5/e4; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxf4 — queen e5→f4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: d4 — pawn d2→d4. Opponent replies Bxf3+ (bishop e4→f3, captures bishop, gives check).
3. Best move: Nxf3 — knight h4→f3, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qd6 (queen f4→d6).
4. Best move: dxc5 — pawn d4→c5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, opening. The key move is d4.

Position data

FEN: rn3rk1/ppp2ppp/8/2b1q3/4bPPN/P4B1P/1P1P2K1/R1BQ1R2 b - - 4 16

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