Chess Puzzle #RhJBl — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1856 · Advanced · attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 4, sacrifice, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen f2; rooks a1/b7; pawns a6/c2/h3. Black: king b8; queen e4; rooks d8/g8; pawns a7/b6/c6/e6/g2. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ka8 — king b8→a8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxa7+ — rook b7→a7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxa7 (king a8→a7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f2→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Rd7 (rook d8→d7).
  4. Best move: Qxd7+ — queen f7→d7, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kb8 (king a7→b8).
  5. Best move: Qb7# — queen d7→b7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 4, sacrifice, very long. The combination ends with Qb7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r2r1/pR6/Ppp1p3/8/4q3/7P/2P2Qp1/R5K1 b - - 1 38

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