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

Rating 2098 · Expert · crushing, endgame, long, skewer.

Position

White: king a1; queen g7; rook e1; pawns a2/f3/g2/h4. Black: king d7; queen d2; rooks a8/h8; knight b2; pawns a7/c6/f5/h5. Black is ahead by 8 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kd6 — king d7→d6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe7+ — queen g7→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kd5 (king d6→d5).
  3. Best move: Qd7+ — queen e7→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king d5→c5).
  4. Best move: Qxd2 — queen d7→d2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, skewer. The key move is Qe7+.

Position data

FEN: r6r/p2k2Q1/2p5/5p1p/7P/5P2/Pn1q2P1/K3R3 b - - 0 31

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