Chess Puzzle #4uFG4 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen c4; rooks c5/f1; bishop d4; pawns a5/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f4; rooks b2/f8; bishop h6; pawns a6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd2 — queen f4→d2. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen c4→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rc8+ — rook c5→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f7→f8).
4. Best move: Rfxf8# — rook f1→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Rfxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/5ppp/p6b/P1R5/2QB1q2/2P5/1r4PP/5R1K b - - 2 31

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