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

Rating 2541 · Master · castling, crushing, discovered attack, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king e1; queen e3; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knight g1; pawns a3/b3/c2/e2/f4/g4/h2. Black: king e8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop f5; knight e4; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (5 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxf5 — pawn g4→f5, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen e7→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Kd1 (king e1→d1).
  3. Best move: O-O-O+ — king e8→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Kc1 (king d1→c1).
  4. Best move: Qf6 — queen h4→f6. Opponent replies Rb1 (rook a1→b1).
  5. Best move: Nc3 — knight e4→c3. Opponent replies Qxc3 (queen e3→c3, captures knight).
  6. Best move: Qxc3 — queen f6→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

castling, crushing, discovered attack, middlegame, very long. The key move is Qh4+.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/ppp1qppp/8/5b2/4nPP1/PP2Q3/2P1P2P/R3KBNR w KQkq - 1 16

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