Chess Puzzle #5Hkth — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rooks f5/g5; pawns a2/b3/c6/d5/e4/f6/h2. Black: king h7; queen b2; rooks d8/g8; knight b8; pawns a6/b5/c7/d6/f7/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rde8 — rook d8→e8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: h4 — pawn h2→h4. Opponent replies Rxg5+ (rook g8→g5, captures rook, gives check).
3. Best move: Rxg5 — rook f5→g5, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen b2→f6, captures pawn).
4. Best move: Qe2 — queen e3→e2. Opponent replies Qxg5+ (queen f6→g5, captures rook, gives check).
5. Best move: hxg5 — pawn h4→g5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, quiet move, very long. The key move is h4.

Position data

FEN: 1n1r2r1/2p2p1k/p1Pp1P2/1p1P1RRp/4P3/1P2Q3/Pq5P/6K1 b - - 0 31

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