Chess Puzzle #K5JCp — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen h4; rooks g1/g4; pawns a2/f2/f3/h2. Black: king h8; queen d4; rooks d8/f8; knight h7; pawns a7/b7/e6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen d4→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxh7+ — queen h4→h7, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king h8→h7, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rh4+ — rook g4→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Qh5 (queen e5→h5).
4. Best move: Rxh5# — rook h4→h5, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Rxh5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1r1k/pp5n/4p3/8/3q2RQ/5P2/P4P1P/6RK b - - 4 30

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.