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

Rating 2245 · Expert · advantage, deflection, exposed king, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks e1/g3; knight f6; pawns a3/b2/e5/f2/g2/h4. Black: king h8; queen h7; rooks a8/f8; bishop e7; knight g7; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen h7→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3 — queen f3→e3. Opponent replies Bxf6 (bishop e7→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh6+ — queen e3→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Qh7 (queen f5→h7).
  4. Best move: Qxf6 — queen h6→f6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, exposed king, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move is Qe3.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pp2bpnq/4pN2/3pP3/7P/P4QR1/1P3PP1/4R1K1 b - - 5 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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