Chess Puzzle #BEZXG — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1459 · Intermediate · exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, opening.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops d3/g3; knights e4/e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/e7; knights c6/d5; pawns a7/b7/c7/e6/f5/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe4 — pawn f5→e4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  3. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen h5→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
  4. Best move: Qf7# — queen g6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, opening. The combination ends with Qf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/ppp1b1p1/2n1p2p/3nNp2/3PN3/2PB2B1/PP3PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 1 10

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