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

Rating 1646 · Advanced · exposed king, fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rooks a1/f1; bishop f4; knights e5/h6; pawns a2/b2/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c5; rooks a8/e8; bishops b7/f8; knights e6/h7; pawns a7/b6/d5/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh6 — pawn g7→h6, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg6+ — queen c2→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Ng7 (knight e6→g7).
  3. Best move: Qf7+ — queen g6→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: Ng6# — knight e5→g6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Ng6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3rbk1/pb4pn/1p2n2N/2qpN3/5B2/4P3/PPQ2PPP/R4RK1 b - - 1 20

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