Chess Puzzle #46HC8 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1356 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, very long.

Position

White: king g3; queen e8; knight e7; pawns a2/b3/e4/f3/g2/h4. Black: king h7; queen f6; rook h1; bishop g7; pawns a6/b5/e5/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf8 — queen f6→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen e8→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxh5+ — queen g6→h5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Bh6 (bishop g7→h6).
  4. Best move: Ng6+ — knight e7→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
  5. Best move: Nxf8 — knight g6→f8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, very long. The key move Qxg6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4Q3/4N1bk/p4qp1/1p2p2p/4P2P/1P3PK1/P5P1/7r b - - 6 41

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