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

Position

White: king h2; queen f3; rook g4; bishop g7; knight e4; pawns a2/b3/f2/g2. Black: king g8; queen c1; rooks a8/f8; bishop g5; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxg7 — king g8→g7, captures bishop. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qf6+ — queen f3→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g7→h7).
3. Best move: Nxg5+ — knight e4→g5, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies hxg5 (pawn h6→g5, captures knight).
4. Best move: Rxg5 — rook g4→g5, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxg5 (queen c1→g5, captures rook).
5. Best move: Qxg5 — queen f6→g5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move Nxg5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/5pB1/p3p2p/1p4b1/4N1R1/1P3Q2/P4PPK/2q5 b - - 2 22

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