Chess Puzzle #V9bda — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2107 · Expert · equality, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; rooks d1/g4; knight f6; pawns e5/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen a2; rooks a8/f8; bishop b7; pawns a7/b6/d4/e6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe2 — queen a2→e2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxg7 — rook g4→g7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Bxg2+ (bishop b7→g2, captures pawn, gives check).
  3. Best move: Rxg2 — rook g7→g2, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxh5 (queen e2→h5, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Nxh5 — knight f6→h5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame. The key move Rxg7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pb3pp1/1p2pN1p/4P2Q/3p2R1/8/q5PP/3R3K b - - 1 26

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.