Chess Puzzle #0nzW8 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2521 · Master · crushing, deflection, endgame, skewer, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; rook c1; pawns b5/e5/g2/h2. Black: king d5; queen c7; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; pawns a7/b6/c5/d7/h7. Black is ahead by 9 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: c4 — pawn c5→c4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f6→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kxe5 (king d5→e5, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Re1+ — rook c1→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Kd6 (king e5→d6).
  4. Best move: Qf4+ — queen f7→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king d6→c5).
  5. Best move: Qxc7+ — queen f4→c7, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, skewer, very long. The key move Qxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4b1r/p1qp3p/1p3Q2/1PpkP3/8/8/6PP/2R3K1 b - - 9 30

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