Chess Puzzle #A7s9J — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2218 · Expert · crushing, endgame, fork, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen d8; rooks a1/g3; pawns a6/c3/d4/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen f7; rooks b2/e2; pawns c4/d5/e6/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: a7 — pawn a6→a7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf2+ — queen f7→f2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qf4 — queen f2→f4. Opponent replies Rg1 (rook a1→g1).
  4. Best move: Re3 — rook e2→e3. Opponent replies Qh4 (queen d8→h4).
  5. Best move: Qxh4 — queen f4→h4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, very long. The key move is Qf2+.

Position data

FEN: 3Q4/5qpk/P3p2p/3p4/2pP4/2P3RP/1r2r1P1/R5K1 w - - 2 30

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