Chess Puzzle #1vaYs — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e7; rooks e1/f1; knight a3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen d3; rooks f8/g5; knights f6/g4; pawns a7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxh2 — knight g4→h2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf8+ — queen e7→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Ng8 (knight f6→g8).
3. Best move: Qxg8+ — queen f8→g8, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg8 (king h8→g8, captures queen).
4. Best move: Re8# — rook e1→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, hanging piece, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Re8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/p3Q1pp/5n2/6r1/3P2n1/N1Pq2P1/PP5P/4RRK1 b - - 1 24

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