Chess Puzzle #8kVih — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2227 · Expert · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king d1; queen h6; rooks d3/e1; pawns a2/c2/f3/f6/g5/h2. Black: king h8; queen f4; rooks b6/f8; pawns a5/b7/c7/d6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rg8 — rook f8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re4 — rook e1→e4. Opponent replies Rb1+ (rook b6→b1, gives check).
  3. Best move: Ke2 — king d1→e2. Opponent replies Qxh2+ (queen f4→h2, captures pawn, gives check).
  4. Best move: Qxh2 — queen h6→h2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move is Re4.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/1pp2p1p/1r1p1PpQ/p5P1/5q2/3R1P2/P1P4P/3KR3 b - - 11 29

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