Chess Puzzle #HfKHW — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2360 · Expert · exposed king, fork, mate, mate in 4, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen h6; rooks a1/f3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d8; rooks b8/f8; bishops b4/e6; knight d3; pawns a7/c6/d5/f6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg6+ — queen h6→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qh5+ — queen g6→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king h8→g7).
  4. Best move: Rg3+ — rook f3→g3, gives check. Opponent replies Bg4 (bishop e6→g4).
  5. Best move: Rxg4# — rook g3→g4, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, fork, mate, mate in 4, middlegame, very long. The combination ends with Rxg4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1r1q1r1k/p7/2p1bp1Q/3p4/1b6/2Nn1R2/PPP3PP/R5K1 b - - 1 21

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