Chess Puzzle #9Envq — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1825 · Advanced · exposed king, kingside attack, mate, mate in 4, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king h1; queen h6; rook a1; bishop d3; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f2; rooks a8/f8; bishops d6/f7; knight e7; pawns a7/b7/c7/f5. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bg6 — bishop f7→g6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc4+ — bishop d3→c4, gives check. Opponent replies Rf7 (rook f8→f7).
  3. Best move: Bxf7+ — bishop c4→f7, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Bxf7 (bishop g6→f7, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h6→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  5. Best move: Qxf7# — queen h7→f7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, kingside attack, mate, mate in 4, middlegame, very long. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppp1nb2/3b3Q/5pN1/3P4/3B3P/PPP2qP1/R6K b - - 1 23

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