Chess Puzzle #UIP78 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2675 · Master · advantage, clearance, defensive move, endgame, long.

Position

White: king h2; queen e4; rook e3; bishop d5; pawns a2/c3/f4/f5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a7/b8; pawns a6/c4/c5/d6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rb2 — rook b8→b2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e4→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  3. Best move: Qf8 — queen e8→f8. Opponent replies Rf2 (rook b2→f2).
  4. Best move: Re8 — rook e3→e8.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, defensive move, endgame, long. The key move is Qe8+.

Position data

FEN: 1r4k1/r4pp1/p2p1q1p/2pB1P2/2p1QP2/2P1R2P/P5PK/8 b - - 2 28

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