Chess Puzzle #VZY36 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2066 · Expert · clearance, equality, kingside attack, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen f7; rooks f1/f3; pawns a3/b2/d3/g4/h3. Black: king h8; queen h4; rooks a8/e8; bishop d4; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/e6/g7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen h4→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen f7→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
  3. Best move: Rf7 — rook f3→f7. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook e8→f8).
  4. Best move: Rxe7 — rook f7→e7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

clearance, equality, kingside attack, long, middlegame. The key move is Qh5+.

Position data

FEN: r3r2k/pp3Qp1/2p1p3/3p4/3b2Pq/P2P1R1P/1P6/5R1K b - - 5 30

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