Chess Puzzle #7PSiV — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1428 · Intermediate · fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen g6; rook g3; bishop e3; knight c4; pawns d4/e6/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen f8; rook g8; knights a6/c3; pawns c6/g7/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne5 — knight c4→e5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight c3→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qf1+ — queen f8→f1, gives check. Opponent replies Bg1 (bishop e3→g1).
  4. Best move: Qxg1# — queen f1→g1, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxg1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5qrk/6p1/n1p1P1Qp/8/2NP4/2n1B1R1/6PP/6K1 w - - 2 34

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