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

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rook a1; bishop d6; pawns a2/b2/c2/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g5; queen d8; rook a8; bishop g7; knights c6/e8; pawns a6/b7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kh5 — king g5→h5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qh3+ — queen e6→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Qh4 (queen d8→h4).
3. Best move: g4+ — pawn g2→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh6 (king h5→h6).
4. Best move: Qxh4# — queen h3→h4, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxh4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2qn3/1p4bp/p1nBQ1p1/6k1/5P2/8/PPP3PP/R5K1 b - - 0 22

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