Chess Puzzle #I60Zs — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1431 · Intermediate · advantage, deflection, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen h4; rook e1; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen b8; rook a8; bishop e7; knights d5/f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf4 — queen b8→f4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen h4→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Ng8 (knight f6→g8).
  3. Best move: Nh7+ — knight g5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f8→e8).
  4. Best move: Qxg8+ — queen h8→g8, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, long, middlegame. The key move Qxg8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rq3k2/pp2bp2/2p2n2/3n2N1/3P3Q/7P/PPP2PP1/4R1K1 b - - 7 25

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