Chess Puzzle #INMi8 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1985 · Advanced · advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen b3; rooks a1/f7; bishop b4; knight e2; pawns a2/c3/e4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen g5; rooks a8/h8; bishops b5/g7; knight e5; pawns a7/b6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf7 — knight e5→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe6+ — queen b3→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
  3. Best move: Rd1+ — rook a1→d1, gives check. Opponent replies Kc7 (king d8→c7).
  4. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen e6→f7, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/p4Rbp/1p4p1/1b2n1q1/1B2P3/1QP5/P3N1PP/R6K b kq - 0 20

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