Chess Puzzle #3DuTY — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1386 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king g2; queen h8; bishop f5; pawns a2/b3/c4/e4/f2/g3. Black: king e7; queen f7; knight d7; pawns a3/b4/c5/e5/f6/g5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf8 — queen f7→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h8→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Qf7 (queen f8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen h7→f7, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf7 (king e7→f7, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Bxd7 — bishop f5→d7, captures knight.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 7Q/3nkq2/5p2/2p1pBp1/1pP1P3/pP4P1/P4PK1/8 b - - 2 43

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