Chess Puzzle #4zMeO — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1008 · Beginner · long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, queenside attack.

Position

White: king d1; queen f6; rooks a1/h1; bishops b4/f1; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d6/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops f2/g4; pawns a7/b7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kc1 — king d1→c1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3+ — queen b6→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Kb1 (king c1→b1).
  3. Best move: Qe1+ — queen e3→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Nd1 (knight c3→d1).
  4. Best move: Qxd1# — queen e1→d1, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, queenside attack. The combination ends with Qxd1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1k4r/pp3p1p/1q1P1Qp1/8/1B4b1/2N5/PPP2bPP/R2K1B1R w - - 1 17

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.