Chess Puzzle #0E2YV — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen a4; rooks b7/f1; bishop d5; knight e7; pawns a2/f2/g2. Black: king h8; queen d6; rooks a8/f8; knight d4; pawns a7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kg1 — king h2→g1. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight d4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
3. Best move: Qh6+ — queen d6→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Qh4 (queen a4→h4).
4. Best move: Qxh4# — queen h6→h4, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxh4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pR2Nppp/3q4/3B4/Q2n4/8/P4PPK/5R2 w - - 1 21

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