Chess Puzzle #L088e — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1781 · Advanced · crushing, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks e2/f1; bishop g1; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen g3; rooks f8/h4; bishop d6; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/g7/h5/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe3 — queen d3→e3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh3+ — rook h4→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen g3→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Bh2 (bishop g1→h2).
  4. Best move: Qxf1+ — queen h3→f1, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Rxh3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pp4p1/2pbp2p/7p/3P3r/2PQ1PqP/PP2R1P1/5RBK w - - 3 30

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