Chess Puzzle #Ii11o — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1767 · Advanced · advantage, clearance, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen e4; rooks a2/f1; bishop b7; knight g4; pawns a4/b3/c4/d3/f5/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen g5; rooks c7/f8; bishop d7; knight e7; pawns a5/b4/c5/d4/e5/f6/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf5 — bishop d7→f5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf5 — rook f1→f5, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxf5 (queen g5→f5, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxf5+ — queen e4→f5, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Nxf5 (knight e7→f5, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Be4 — bishop b7→e4. Opponent replies Kg7 (king h7→g7).
  5. Best move: Bxf5 — bishop e4→f5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, very long. The key move Qxf5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/1Brbn2k/5p1p/p1p1pPq1/PpPpQ1N1/1P1P3P/R5P1/5RK1 b - - 11 28

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