Chess Puzzle #9QaEi — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishops b3/c1; pawns a4/b4/c3/e4/f2/g2. Black: king f8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knights f4/h2; pawns a7/b7/c6/e5/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxh2 — king g1→h2, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen e7→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king h2→g1).
3. Best move: Nh3+ — knight f4→h3, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures knight).
4. Best move: Rg8+ — rook h8→g8, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move is Qh4+.

Position data

FEN: r1b2k1r/pp2qp2/2p4p/4p3/PP2Pn2/1BP5/5PPn/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 23

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