Chess Puzzle #Mshi9 — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2124 · Expert · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; bishop d3; pawns a2/b2/e3/e5/f2/h2. Black: king g7; queen f3; pawns a5/b6/e6/f7/g6/h3. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be4 — bishop d3→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4+ — queen f3→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qd1+ — queen g4→d1, gives check. Opponent replies Qf1 (queen c4→f1).
  4. Best move: Qxf1# — queen d1→f1, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qxf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/5pk1/1p2p1p1/p3P3/2Q5/3BPq1p/PP3P1P/6K1 w - - 0 30

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