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

Rating 1702 · Advanced · clearance, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen g4; rook c1; bishop b2; knights b3/g5; pawns a2/f2/g2/h4. Black: king g6; queen b6; rooks a8/f8; bishops b4/c8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: f5 — pawn f7→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: h5+ — pawn h4→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh6 (king g6→h6).
  3. Best move: Nf7+ — knight g5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures knight).
  4. Best move: Qg6# — queen g4→g6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qg6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2r2/pp3pp1/1qn1p1k1/3p2N1/1b4QP/1N6/PB3PP1/2R3K1 b - - 1 19

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

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