Chess Puzzle #RV7um — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2627 · Master · endgame, mate, mate in 5, very long.

Position

White: king h3; queen a8; bishop d4; pawns b2/c3/f3/g3/h2. Black: king h7; queen d3; bishop e7; pawns b5/e6/f7/g6/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (5 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe8 — queen a8→e8. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf1+ — queen d3→f1, gives check. Opponent replies Kg4 (king h3→g4).
  3. Best move: f5+ — pawn f7→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king g4→f4).
  4. Best move: Qc1+ — queen f1→c1, gives check. Opponent replies Ke5 (king f4→e5).
  5. Best move: Qe1+ — queen c1→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Be3 (bishop d4→e3).
  6. Best move: Qxe3# — queen e1→e3, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 5, very long. The combination ends with Qxe3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: Q7/4bp1k/4p1pp/1p6/3B4/2Pq1PPK/1P5P/8 w - - 4 42

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