Chess Puzzle #5qcMi — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1574 · Intermediate · discovered attack, exposed king, kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king h1; queen c2; rooks a1/d1; bishop f1; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/c3/e3/f2. Black: king g8; queen h5; rooks a8/f8; knight h4; pawns a7/b6/d6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be2 — bishop f1→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight h4→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king h1→g2).
  3. Best move: Qg4+ — queen h5→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g2→f1).
  4. Best move: Qg1# — queen g4→g1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

discovered attack, exposed king, kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qg1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p4ppp/1p1p4/7q/3N3n/2P1P3/PPQ2P2/R2R1B1K w - - 10 26

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