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

Rating 2216 · Expert · attraction, deflection, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rooks f1/f8; pawns a2/b2/d5/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen d7; rooks e5/e7; pawns a7/b7/d6/g6/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd5 — rook e5→d5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh8+ — rook f8→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh8 (king h7→h8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh6+ — queen f4→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rh7 (rook e7→h7).
  4. Best move: Qf8# — queen h6→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, deflection, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5R2/pp1qr2k/3p2pp/3Pr3/5Q2/7P/PP4P1/5RK1 b - - 3 26

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.