Chess Puzzle #8HiKH — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1646 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king b1; queen e5; rooks d1/h1; pawns b2/c5/f2/g2. Black: king g8; queen c6; rooks b5/f8; pawns b7/d5/e6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxc5 — rook b5→c5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh7 — rook h1→h7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Rc1+ (rook c5→c1, gives check).
  3. Best move: Rxc1 — rook d1→c1, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxc1+ (queen c6→c1, captures rook, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kxc1 — king b1→c1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move Rxh7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1p5p/2q1p1p1/1rPpQ3/8/8/1P3PP1/1K1R3R b - - 3 26

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.