Chess Puzzle #40AvI — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1968 · Advanced · advantage, fork, middlegame, sacrifice, very long.

Position

White: king e3; queen b7; rooks d1/g1; bishops b3/f2; pawns a3/b4/d4/f3. Black: king g8; queen h2; rooks a8/c8; knight f4; pawns d5/e6/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (5 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bg3 — bishop f2→g3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rc3+ — rook c8→c3, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf4 (king e3→f4, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh5 — queen h2→h5. Opponent replies Qxa8+ (queen b7→a8, captures rook, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kh7 — king g8→h7. Opponent replies Bc2+ (bishop b3→c2, gives check).
  5. Best move: g6 — pawn g7→g6. Opponent replies Bxg6+ (bishop c2→g6, captures pawn, gives check).
  6. Best move: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, sacrifice, very long. The key move is Rc3+.

Position data

FEN: r1r3k1/1Q3pp1/4p2p/3p4/1P1P1n2/PB2KP2/5B1q/3R2R1 w - - 9 30

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