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

Position

White: king h2; queen h8; pawns a2/b2/e4/g2/h4. Black: king f6; queen f2; knight c2; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/g6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ke6 — king f6→e6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen h8→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf6 (king e6→f6).
3. Best move: Qf8+ — queen e8→f8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke5 (king f6→e5).
4. Best move: Qxf2 — queen f8→f2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, skewer. The key move is Qe8+.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/ppp5/3p1kp1/8/4P2P/8/PPn2qPK/8 b - - 5 28

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