Chess Puzzle #AS7nL — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · advantage, long, master, middlegame.

Position

White: king c1; queen h5; rooks h1/h3; pawns a2/b2/c4/d5/e4/f2/g2. Black: king f8; queen f6; rooks a8/f7; bishop g7; pawns a5/b7/c7/d6/e5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke7 — king f8→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rf3 — rook h3→f3. Opponent replies Qh6+ (queen f6→h6, gives check).
  3. Best move: Qxh6 — queen h5→h6, captures queen. Opponent replies Bxh6+ (bishop g7→h6, captures queen, gives check).
  4. Best move: Rxh6 — rook h1→h6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, master, middlegame. The key move is Rf3.

Position data

FEN: r4k2/1pp2rb1/3p1q2/p2Pp2Q/2P1P3/7R/PP3PP1/2K4R b - - 3 25

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