Chess Puzzle #J0CpY — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1442 · Intermediate · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king g2; queen c4; bishop f5; pawns a2/b2/d6/e4/h2. Black: king h7; queen d1; bishop b6; pawns a7/b7/e5/g7/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh6 — king h7→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe6+ — queen c4→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king h6→g5).
  3. Best move: Qg6+ — queen e6→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king g5→f4).
  4. Best move: Qg3# — queen g6→g3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qg3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp4pk/1b1P4/4pB1p/2Q1P3/8/PP4KP/3q4 b - - 1 35

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