Chess Puzzle #6i9c4 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1734 · Advanced · endgame, kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king h2; queen d1; knights c4/c6; pawns a4/b5/c3/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c5; bishops b7/g7; pawns a7/b6/c7/f4/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc4 — queen c5→c4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne7+ — knight c6→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop g7→f8).
  4. Best move: Qxf8# — queen d8→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pbp2pbp/1pN3p1/1Pq5/P1N2p2/2P2P1P/6PK/3Q4 b - - 2 28

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