Chess Puzzle #CnYBJ — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1725 · Advanced · fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen h6; rook e1; knights b3/d5; pawns a3/b2/f3/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rook c8; bishops d6/f5; pawns a6/b7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd8 — queen c7→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe8 (queen d8→e8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Nf6+ — knight d5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h6→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/1pq2p1p/p2b2pQ/3N1b2/8/PN3PP1/1P5P/4R1K1 b - - 0 29

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