Chess Puzzle #EZvzC — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2612 · Master · crushing, endgame, exposed king, fork, long.

Position

White: king f1; queen b6; rook a6; pawns c2/c4/d5/g2/h3. Black: king d7; queen f8; knight b7; pawns d6/e3/g5/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke2 — king f1→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf2+ — queen f8→f2, gives check. Opponent replies Kd3 (king e2→d3).
  3. Best move: Nc5+ — knight b7→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Kc3 (king d3→c3).
  4. Best move: Qf6+ — queen f2→f6, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, exposed king, fork, long. The key move is Qf2+.

Position data

FEN: 5q2/1n1k4/RQ1p3p/3P2p1/2P5/4p2P/2P3P1/5K2 w - - 2 32

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