Chess Puzzle #0C1lg — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1381 · Intermediate · long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king h2; queen b3; rooks b8/g1; bishop b2; knight c4; pawns a2/d5/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen g6; rook g8; bishop f8; knights e4/e8; pawns d6/e5/f4/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight c4→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qg3+ — queen g6→g3, gives check. Opponent replies Qxg3 (queen b3→g3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: fxg3+ — pawn f4→g3, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king h2→h1).
  4. Best move: Nf2# — knight e4→f2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Nf2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1R2nbrk/7p/3p2q1/3Pp3/2N1np2/1Q5P/PB4PK/6R1 w - - 0 36

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