Chess Puzzle #ELH2W — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1451 · Intermediate · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen f5; rooks e1/f4; pawns a4/c2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks b2/f8; pawns a7/c6/d5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qa5 — queen d8→a5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f5→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f7→f8).
  4. Best move: Rfxf8# — rook f4→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice. The combination ends with Rfxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3q1rk1/p4ppp/2p5/3p1Q2/P4R2/2P5/1rP3PP/4R2K b - - 0 23

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