Chess Puzzle #38n9s — Intermediate, Black to move, endgame

Position

White: king h4; queen g4; pawn h3. Black: king b3; queen e7; pawn a7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qg5 — queen g4→g5. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen e7→g5, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg5 (king h4→g5, captures queen).
3. Best move: a5 — pawn a7→a5. Opponent replies h4 (pawn h3→h4).
4. Best move: a4 — pawn a5→a4. Opponent replies h5 (pawn h4→h5).
5. Best move: a3 — pawn a4→a3.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, queen endgame, quiet move, very long. The key move Qxg5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/p3q3/8/8/6QK/1k5P/8/8 w - - 1 44

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