Chess Puzzle #4UT9K — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1979 · Advanced · advanced pawn, attack on f2/f7, attraction, crushing, kingside attack, long.

Position

White: king h1; queen c5; rook f3; bishop g3; knight g1; pawns a2/b2/e6/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b1; rooks d1/f8; knight a1; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc1 — rook d1→c1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf8+ — queen c5→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bd6+ — bishop g3→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f8→e8).
  4. Best move: exf7+ — pawn e6→f7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, attack on f2/f7, attraction, crushing, kingside attack, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Qxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pp3ppp/2p1P3/2Q5/8/5RBP/PP4P1/nq1r2NK b - - 0 23

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