Chess Puzzle #L8tF9 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1552 · Intermediate · attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen a7; bishop e1; knight f5; pawns c4/d3/d5/f3/g2. Black: king g6; queen d8; bishop f6; knight f7; pawns c5/d6/e5/g5/h4. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc8 — queen d8→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen a7→f7, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf7 (king g6→f7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxd6+ — knight f5→d6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king f7→g6).
  4. Best move: Nxc8 — knight d6→c8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3q4/Q4n2/3p1bk1/2pPpNp1/2P4p/3P1P2/6P1/4B1K1 b - - 0 40

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