Chess Puzzle #B0rRR — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1594 · Intermediate · endgame, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king h2; queen e5; rooks g2/h6; pawns a3/b2/e4/f5/h3. Black: king h7; queen d3; rooks f7/f8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/d4. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxh6 — king h7→h6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf4+ — queen e5→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king h6→h7).
  3. Best move: Qh4+ — queen f4→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Nh5 (knight f6→h5).
  4. Best move: Qxh5# — queen h4→h5, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qxh5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/pp3r1k/5n1R/4QP2/3pP3/P2q3P/1P4RK/8 b - - 0 39

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