Chess Puzzle #87IOR — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1984 · Advanced · crushing, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks c8/e8; pawns f2/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen a5; rooks b7/f7; knight f6; pawns a6/d5/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g6 — pawn g7→g6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh8+ — rook e8→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king h7→g7).
  3. Best move: Qe5 — queen g3→e5. Opponent replies Qe1+ (queen a5→e1, gives check).
  4. Best move: Qxe1 — queen e5→e1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame. The key move is Rh8+.

Position data

FEN: 2R1R3/1r3rpk/p4n1p/q2p4/8/6QP/5PP1/6K1 b - - 2 33

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.