Chess Puzzle #0aRkO — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f1; queen f5; rook d1; knight e4; pawns a3/b2/c3/d3. Black: king f7; queen h6; rook e7; bishop e5; knight c2; pawns a7/b7/c5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bf6 — bishop e5→f6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nd6+ — knight e4→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f7→g8).
3. Best move: Qc8+ — queen f5→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Re8 (rook e7→e8).
4. Best move: Qxe8# — queen c8→e8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp2rkpp/7q/2p1bQ2/4N3/P1PP4/1Pn5/3R1K2 b - - 3 31

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