Chess Puzzle #1Oh5a — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 704 · Beginner · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; bishop h6; pawns a2/b3/c4/h2. Black: king g8; queen b7; bishops g4/g7; knight f6; pawns a7/e5/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf3 — queen b7→f3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d3→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Ne8 (knight f6→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen d8→e8, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop g7→f8).
  4. Best move: Qxf8# — queen e8→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pq3pbp/5npB/4p3/2P3b1/1P1Q4/P6P/6K1 b - - 1 26

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