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

Rating 2307 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, sacrifice, very long.

Position

White: king f1; queen a2; rooks c3/f2; bishop a3; knight f5; pawns d4/h2. Black: king g8; queen f8; rooks a8/g4; bishop c8; knight g6; pawns b7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd8 — queen f8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nh6+ — knight f5→h6, gives check. Opponent replies gxh6 (pawn g7→h6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen a2→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  4. Best move: Rc7 — rook c3→c7. Opponent replies Qxc7 (queen d8→c7, captures rook).
  5. Best move: Qxc7 — queen f7→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, sacrifice, very long. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2qk1/1p3ppp/6n1/5N2/3P2r1/B1R5/Q4R1P/5K2 b - - 1 27

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