Chess Puzzle #37s9r — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2228 · Expert · advantage, attraction, fork, middlegame, quiet move, sacrifice.

Position

White: king c1; queen d3; rook g1; bishop d2; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/f3/f4. Black: king g8; queen d7; rooks a8/e8; bishop g7; pawns a5/b4/c5/d6/f7/h5/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen d7→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f5 — pawn f4→f5. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Rxg7 — rook g1→g7, captures bishop. Opponent replies Kxg7 (king h8→g7, captures rook).
  4. Best move: f6+ — pawn f5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen e7→f6, captures pawn).
  5. Best move: Nxf6 — knight e4→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, fork, middlegame, quiet move, sacrifice, very long. The key move is f5.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/3q1pb1/3p3p/p1pP3p/1p2NP2/3Q1P2/PPPB4/2K3R1 b - - 1 23

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.