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

Rating 1771 · Advanced · crushing, deflection, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen d5; rooks d1/f1; bishop e3; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks c8/h8; bishop f8; knight e5; pawns a6/b5/d6/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bg7 — bishop f8→g7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne6 — knight d4→e6. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen d5→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qe7 (queen c7→e7).
  4. Best move: Qxc8+ — queen e6→c8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r1kb1r/2q2p1p/p2p2p1/1p1Qn3/3NP3/4B3/PPP3PP/3R1RK1 b k - 1 18

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