Chess Puzzle #7w1sV — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2114 · Expert · equality, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen e5; rooks a1/e1; knight d2; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops b5/c5; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg3+ — queen e5→g3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qc3+ — queen g3→c3, gives check. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  4. Best move: Qxc5 — queen c3→c5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is Qg3+.

Position data

FEN: r2q1r1k/pp3p1p/4p3/1bbpQ3/8/8/PPPN1PPP/R3R1K1 b - - 0 16

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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