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

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rook b1; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f2/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen f4; rook e6; bishop b8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e4/f6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen f4→f5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: g4 — pawn g3→g4. Opponent replies Qf4 (queen f5→f4).
3. Best move: Qc4 — queen e2→c4. Opponent replies fxe5 (pawn f6→e5, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen c4→e6, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, long, pin. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1b4k1/pp4pp/2p1rp2/4N3/3Ppq1P/6P1/PPP1QP2/1R4K1 b - - 0 25

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