Chess Puzzle #5Ca9c — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1173 · Beginner · deflection, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, swallowstail mate.

Position

White: king c1; queen h5; rooks d1/h1; bishop c4; pawns b3/c2/e4/f5. Black: king g8; queen a2; rooks a8/d8; bishop b7; knight g5; pawns a6/d6/e5/f6/g7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kf8 — king g8→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen h5→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  3. Best move: Qxg7+ — queen h8→g7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Nf7 (knight g5→f7).
  4. Best move: Qxf7# — queen g7→f7, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, swallowstail mate. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2r2k1/1b4p1/p2p1p2/4pPnQ/2B1P3/1P6/q1P5/2KR3R b - - 1 27

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.