Chess Puzzle #BFhA9 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2250 · Expert · advantage, deflection, endgame, exposed king, long, master.

Position

White: king h1; queen g5; rook b8; knight h5; pawns a5/c3/d2/f4/g2/h6. Black: king f7; queen d5; rook f6; bishop c6; pawns a6/c4/d3/f5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh5 — pawn g6→h5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg8+ — queen g5→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f7→e7).
  3. Best move: Re8+ — rook b8→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Bxe8 (bishop c6→e8, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxd5 — queen g8→d5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, endgame, exposed king, long, master. The key move is Qg8+.

Position data

FEN: 1R6/5k1p/p1b2rpP/P2q1pQN/2p2P2/2Pp4/3P2P1/7K b - - 4 35

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