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

Rating 1680 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, pin, very long.

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks a1/g7; bishop d2; pawns a3/b2/e3/f2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e5; rooks a8/h5; pawns a5/b7/d5/f3/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxg7 — king g8→g7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc3 — bishop d2→c3. Opponent replies Rxh3+ (rook h5→h3, captures pawn, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kg1 — king h1→g1. Opponent replies Qxc3 (queen e5→c3, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen d3→c3, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g7→f7).
  5. Best move: Qc7+ — queen c3→c7, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, pin, very long. The key move Qxc3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/1p4Rp/8/p2pq2r/8/P2QPp1P/1P1B1P2/R6K b - - 0 26

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