Chess Puzzle #M9AWC — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1548 · Intermediate · clearance, crushing, endgame, long, pin.

Position

White: king f1; queen e3; rook d8; pawns a2/b3/f2/h2. Black: king h7; queen g4; rook e4; pawns a5/b5/f7/g6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg3 — queen e3→g3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe2+ — queen g4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king f1→g2).
  3. Best move: Rg4 — rook e4→g4. Opponent replies Qxg4 (queen g3→g4, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxg4+ — queen e2→g4, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

clearance, crushing, endgame, long, pin. The key move Qxg4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3R4/5p1k/6p1/pp6/4r1q1/1P2Q3/P4P1P/5K2 w - - 2 41

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