Chess Puzzle #1fqlN — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2351 · Expert · crushing, defensive move, endgame, very long.

Position

White: king f3; queen d3; rook c2; pawns a2/c6/f4/g3/h4. Black: king g7; queen f6; rook c7; pawns a7/e6/f7/g6/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen f6→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf5 — queen d3→f5, captures queen. Opponent replies gxf5 (pawn g6→f5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ke3 — king f3→e3. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g7→f8).
  4. Best move: Kd4 — king e3→d4. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  5. Best move: Kc5 — king d4→c5.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, very long. The key move Qxf5 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 8/p1r2pk1/2P1pqp1/7p/5P1P/3Q1KP1/P1R5/8 b - - 1 35

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