Chess Puzzle #1shO4 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1290 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, endgame, long.

Position

White: king h2; queen g3; rooks a7/e7; pawns a4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks b1/f8; pawns f7/g6/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd3 — queen g3→d3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf4+ — queen f6→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Qg3 (queen d3→g3).
  3. Best move: Rh1+ — rook b1→h1, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh1 (king h2→h1, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxg3 — queen f4→g3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, long. The key move is Qf4+.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/R3Rpp1/5qp1/8/P7/6QP/6PK/1r6 w - - 1 39

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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