Chess Puzzle #BrO2S — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2306 · Expert · advantage, long, middlegame, pin.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks b7/g2; bishops d3/e5; knight a4; pawns a3/c5/e3/f4/h3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks a8/e8; bishops f5/h4; knight e4; pawns a7/c6/d5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa4 — queen a5→a4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5 — queen f3→h5. Opponent replies Re7 (rook e8→e7).
  3. Best move: Rxe7 — rook b7→e7, captures rook. Opponent replies Bxe7 (bishop h4→e7, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxf5 — queen h5→f5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame, pin. The key move is Qh5.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/pR5p/2p3p1/q1PpBb2/N3nP1b/P2BPQ1P/6R1/6K1 b - - 7 29

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