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

Rating 1427 · Intermediate · exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king c1; queen h2; rooks d3/h1; bishop f4; pawns a2/b2/g2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/e8; bishops f5/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d4/g6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxd3 — bishop f5→d3, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h2→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Bh6+ — bishop f4→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Bg7 (bishop f6→g7).
  4. Best move: Qxg7# — queen h7→g7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2qr1k1/ppp5/5bp1/5b2/3p1B2/3R4/PP4PQ/2K4R b - - 0 22

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