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Puzzle #87: Discovered attack

Rating ≈ 1550 · 2 moves to find

Black to move and win material.

Puzzle position: Black to move and win material.♜︎♝︎♛︎♜︎♚︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♞︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Show a hint

Moving one piece can open a line for another.

Show the solution
  1. 8… d4 — the pawn goes to d4.
  2. 9. O-O is the best defence.
  3. 9… dxc3 — the pawn takes the knight on c3.

Why it works. Moving one piece uncovers an attack from another, creating two threats in a single move. At the end of the line Black is about 3 points of material better off.

Themes: Discovered attack, Winning material

Want to recognise this pattern faster? Read the guide.

This position comes from a training game and was checked with a chess engine: every move you need to find is the only one that works.

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