Chess Puzzle #2T7Os — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g6; rooks d3/f1; knight h5; pawns a2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d8; rooks c8/e8; bishops b2/d7; pawns a6/b4/d5/e6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Re7 — rook e8→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nf6 — knight h5→f6. Opponent replies Bxf6 (bishop b2→f6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rh3+ — rook d3→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Bh4 (bishop f6→h4).
4. Best move: Rxh4+ — rook h3→h4, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Rh7 (rook e7→h7).
5. Best move: Qxh7# — queen g6→h7, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, mate, mate in 4, middlegame, sacrifice, very long. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2rqr2k/3b4/p3p1Q1/3p3N/1p6/3R4/Pb3PPP/5RK1 b - - 1 25

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