Puzzle #9: Winning material
Rating ≈ 1550 · 2 moves to find
Black to move and win material.
Show a hint
Go through every check and capture, then every threat.
Show the solution
- 8… d4 — the pawn goes to d4.
- 9. O-O is the best defence.
- 9… dxc3 — the pawn takes the knight on c3.
Why it works. Forcing moves leave the opponent no time to defend everything. At the end of the line Black is about 3 points of material better off.
Themes: Winning material
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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.