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

Rating 1733 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen h5; rooks b1/g1; bishop e4; knight f6; pawns b3/c4/d3/f2/h3. Black: king h8; queen g7; rooks b8/f4; bishops d4/d7; pawns b5/c5/d6/e6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf2+ — rook f4→f2, captures pawn, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Kh1 — king h2→h1. Opponent replies Rxf6 (rook f2→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxg7 — rook g1→g7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Kh1.

Position data

FEN: 1r5k/3b2qp/3ppN2/1pp4Q/2PbBr2/1P1P3P/5P1K/1R4R1 b - - 3 28

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