Chess Puzzle #7Ycsa — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1404 · Intermediate · advantage, attraction, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen f7; rook f1; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/c3/e5/g2/g3/h2. Black: king h7; queen g7; rook c8; bishop c5; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf8 — rook c8→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg7+ — queen f7→g7, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg7 (king h7→g7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxe6+ — knight d4→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king g7→g6).
  4. Best move: Nxf8+ — knight e6→f8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Qxg7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r5/pp1n1Qqk/4p2p/2bpP3/3N4/2P3P1/PP4PP/5R1K b - - 2 21

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