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

Position

White: king h1; queen h7; knights d2/f5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/d5/e6/g2. Black: king e7; queen g8; rook a8; bishops b6/f1; knight a6; pawns a7/b7/c7/g6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kf6 — king e7→f6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ne4+ — knight d2→e4, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf5 (king f6→f5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qh3+ — queen h7→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Kxe4 (king f5→e4, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qf3# — queen h3→f3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qf3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5q1/ppp1k2Q/nb2P1p1/3P1N2/3P4/2P5/PP1N2P1/5b1K b - - 2 24

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