Chess Puzzle #37EF5 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f1; queen c4; rook a1; bishops a6/e3; pawns a3/b4/d4/f5. Black: king d7; queen d6; rooks d8/g4; knight c6; pawns c7/e4/f7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qg3 — queen d6→g3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen c4→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ne7 (knight c6→e7).
3. Best move: Qe6+ — queen f7→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king d7→e8).
4. Best move: Bb5+ — bishop a6→b5, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r4/2pk1p2/B1nq4/5P2/1PQPp1r1/P3B3/8/R4K2 b - - 1 30

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