Chess Puzzle #4PMxS — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1428 · Intermediate · advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen e3; rook e1; knight h4; pawns b2/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen c7; rook g5; bishop b7; knight e6; pawns b4/d7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd6 — queen c7→d6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen e3→g5, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Nxg5 (knight e6→g5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nf5+ — knight h4→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf6 (king g7→f6).
  4. Best move: Nxd6 — knight f5→d6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Qxg5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/1bqp2k1/4n3/6r1/1p5N/4Q2P/1P3PP1/4R2K b - - 12 33

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