Chess Puzzle #7A870 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen a8; rook f1; knight f4; pawns a2/e3/e4/g5. Black: king g8; rooks b2/c2; bishop e5; knight h4; pawns a7/d6/e7/f7/h5/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kg7 — king g8→g7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ne6+ — knight f4→e6, gives check. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qf8+ — queen a8→f8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king g7→g6).
4. Best move: Qh6# — queen f8→h6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: Q5k1/p3pp1p/3p4/4b1Pp/4PN1n/4P3/Prr5/5RK1 b - - 7 29

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