Chess Puzzle #1qc6D — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1959 · Advanced · advantage, deflection, exposed king, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; bishops d2/e4; pawns a2/b2/f2/g7/h2. Black: king f7; queen f6; rooks a8/g8; knights d4/e2; pawns a7/b7/e6. Black is ahead by 8 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxg7 — king f7→g7, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g7→f8).
  3. Best move: Bb4+ — bishop d2→b4, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f8→e8).
  4. Best move: Qxg8+ — queen h7→g8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, exposed king, long, middlegame. The key move Qxg8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5r1/pp3kP1/4pq2/7Q/3nB3/8/PP1BnP1P/7K b - - 2 30

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