Chess Puzzle #9FLCY — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen g5; rooks g1/g3; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/c3/f4. Black: king h8; queen b6; rooks d8/e8; bishop g4; pawns a7/b7/g7/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxb2+ — queen b6→b2, captures pawn, gives check. Now White to move.
2. Best move: R1g2 — rook g1→g2. Opponent replies Qb6 (queen b2→b6).
3. Best move: Rh3 — rook g3→h3. Opponent replies Qh6 (queen b6→h6).
4. Best move: Rxg4 — rook g2→g4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, discovered attack, long, middlegame. The key move is R1g2.

Position data

FEN: 3rr2k/pp4p1/1q6/6Qp/3N1Pb1/2P3R1/PP5K/6R1 b - - 7 26

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.