Chess Puzzle #zXJnw — Master, White to move, opening

Rating 2412 · Master · advantage, long, opening, pin, trapped piece.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c4/g5; knight d5; pawns a2/a3/c3/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a5; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knights d7/f6; pawns a6/d6/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe4 — knight f6→e4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4 — queen d1→a4. Opponent replies Qc5 (queen a5→c5).
  3. Best move: Be3 — bishop g5→e3. Opponent replies Bb7 (bishop c8→b7).
  4. Best move: Bxc5 — bishop e3→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, opening, pin, trapped piece. The key move is Qa4.

Position data

FEN: r1b1kb1r/3n1ppp/p2p1n2/q2Np1B1/2B1P3/P1P5/P4PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 12

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