Chess Puzzle #C1WnW — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1430 · Intermediate · deflection, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king e2; queen e7; rooks h1/h5; bishop a2; pawns a3/b2/c2/c3/g2/g4. Black: king g7; queen b6; rooks f6/h8; knight a5; pawns a6/b5/c4/d6/g5/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf7 — rook f6→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxg5+ — rook h5→g5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies hxg5 (pawn h6→g5, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen e7→g5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g7→f8).
  4. Best move: Rxh8# — rook h1→h8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Rxh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7r/4Q1k1/pq1p1r1p/np4pR/2p3P1/P1P5/BPP1K1P1/7R b - - 2 28

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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