Chess Puzzle #MJiFi — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2662 · Master · advantage, defensive move, fork, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king f3; queen e6; rook e1; knight b3; pawns a2/c4/d5/f4/g3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks b7/h2; bishop e7; pawns a6/c5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh8 — king g8→h8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: d6 — pawn d5→d6. Opponent replies Qc6+ (queen c7→c6, gives check).
  3. Best move: Qd5 — queen e6→d5. Opponent replies Qxd5+ (queen c6→d5, captures queen, gives check).
  4. Best move: cxd5 — pawn c4→d5, captures queen. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop e7→f8).
  5. Best move: Nxc5 — knight b3→c5, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, fork, middlegame, very long. The key move is d6.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/1rq1b1pp/p3Q3/2pP4/2P2P2/1N3KP1/P6r/4R3 b - - 2 38

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