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

Rating 1558 · Intermediate · clearance, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen b7; rooks b2/f1; pawns e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d4; rook f8; knight c3; pawns a7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne4 — knight c3→e4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen b7→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rb8+ — rook b2→b8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f7→f8).
  4. Best move: Rfxf8# — rook f1→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice. The combination ends with Rfxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pQ3ppp/4p3/3pP3/3q4/2n5/1R4PP/5R1K b - - 0 23

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