Chess Puzzle #635og — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen h8; knight d5; pawns a3/c4/c6/g2/h3. Black: king c7; queen f2; rook b2; pawns a7/f4/f5/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxc6 — king c7→c6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qc8+ — queen h8→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Kd6 (king c6→d6).
3. Best move: Qc7+ — queen c8→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke6 (king d6→e6).
4. Best move: Qe7# — queen c7→e7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qe7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/p1k5/2P3p1/3N1p1p/2P2p2/P6P/1r3qPK/8 b - - 3 40

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