Chess Puzzle #Hn7kA — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1770 · Advanced · advantage, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king a1; queen f3; rooks d1/h1; bishop e2; pawns a3/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen a5; rook c8; knight d5; pawns b3/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kb2 — king a1→b2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rc2+ — rook c8→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Kxb3 (king b2→b3, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Rc3+ — rook c2→c3, gives check. Opponent replies Qxc3 (queen f3→c3, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen a5→c3, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Qxc3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r4k/5ppp/4p3/q2n4/3P4/Pp3Q2/4BPPP/K2R3R w - - 1 23

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