Chess Puzzle #399aT — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1548 · Intermediate · advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame, pin.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks e1/h5; pawns a2/b2/c5/f3/g4/h2. Black: king g8; queen e6; rooks f4/f8; knight h6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/e4. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf3 — rook f4→f3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rg5+ — rook h5→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qg7+ — queen d4→g7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f7→e8).
  4. Best move: Re5 — rook g5→e5.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame, pin. The key move is Rg5+.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/ppp5/4q2n/2Pp3R/3QprP1/5P2/PP5P/4R1K1 b - - 3 33

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