Chess Puzzle #M2mM2 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1458 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen g4; rook g3; bishop f1; knight f3; pawns b3/d3/h2. Black: king f8; queen d6; rooks a2/c8; pawns a7/b7/e5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc1 — rook c8→c1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg8+ — queen g4→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  3. Best move: Qg5+ — queen g8→g5, gives check. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  4. Best move: Qxc1 — queen g5→c1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is Qg8+.

Position data

FEN: 2r2k2/pp3p1p/3q4/4p3/6Q1/1P1P1NR1/r6P/5B1K b - - 1 34

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