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I was solving puzzles and I failed this one. The correct answer was fxe4 fxe4 Bxh5+. Why can the knight not just move to f6 and be safe there?

fxe4 Nf6 exd5 fxd5 is in my opinion more preferable for black.

 [Title "1...Nf6?"]
 [fen "rnbqk2r/ppp3pp/3b4/3p1p1n/3Pp3/1P2PPP1/P1P1B2P/RNBQK1NR w KQkq - 0 1"]
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Because after Nf6, e5 is a double attack on the d6 bishop and the f6 knight.

The puzzle aside, given that black's dropping the piece anyway, may as well go for something practical, like Nxg3, hxg3, Bxg3+... and take 2 pawns for the piece, with some positional compensation as the king will be misplaced, but objectively white should of course be easily winning.

 [Title "Puzzle"]
 [fen "rnbqk2r/ppp3pp/3b4/3p1p1n/3Pp3/1P2PPP1/P1P1B2P/RNBQK1NR w KQkq - 0 1"]

 1.fxe4 Nf6 (1...fxe4 2.Bxh5+) (1...Nxg3 2.hxg3 Bxg3+) 2.e5
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  • That Bxg3 line can make things more difficult for black. Though the king has to run to d2, the center is closed and White can make use of an open f-file after 3...fxe4, or large central space gain after 3... dxe4 4. Bh5+ folllowed by an eventual c4.
    – Jossie Calderon
    Jul 29, 2017 at 6:35
  • With black's two pawns being passers, the game is unclear. The main problem is that black can't castle after Bh5+.
    – Fred Knight
    Jul 30, 2017 at 6:24

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