Chess Puzzle #PagDL — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen h3; rook f1; knight h4; pawns a2/b2/f2/g4/h2. Black: king h6; queen e5; rook f7; bishop c5; knight h5; pawns a7/b7/c7/e4. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nf4 — knight h5→f4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nf5+ — knight h4→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king h6→g5).
3. Best move: Qh4+ — queen h3→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king g5→g6).
4. Best move: Qh6# — queen h4→h6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

double check, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/ppp2r2/7k/2b1q2n/4p1PN/7Q/PP3P1P/5RK1 b - - 0 23

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