Chess Puzzle #8UpHy — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1449 · Intermediate · exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rook h6; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/d5/f2/g3. Black: king g8; queen f3; rooks a8/f8; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/g4. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne5 — knight d7→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg5+ — queen d2→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  3. Best move: Rh7+ — rook h6→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f7→e8).
  4. Best move: Qe7# — queen g5→e7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qe7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pppn4/3p3R/3P4/6p1/2N2qP1/PP1Q1P2/6K1 b - - 0 27

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.