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

Rating 1755 · Advanced · advantage, attraction, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g3; queen h6; bishop d3; knight f4; pawns a2/b4/c5/f3/g2/g6. Black: king g8; queen d4; bishop e8; knight f8; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/f7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf8+ — queen h6→f8, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight f4→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king f8→f7).
  4. Best move: Nxd4 — knight e6→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move Qxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4bnk1/pp3p1p/2p3PQ/2Pp4/1P1q1N2/3B1PK1/P5P1/8 b - - 1 32

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