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

Rating 2215 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king h1; queen h7; rook a1; bishop c4; pawns a3/b2/c3/e4/g3. Black: king e7; queen f2; rook a8; bishops a7/h3; knight c6; pawns a5/b7/c7/e5. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kf6 — king e7→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen h7→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king f6→g5).
  3. Best move: Qg7+ — queen f7→g7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh5 (king g5→h5).
  4. Best move: Bf7+ — bishop c4→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf7 (queen f2→f7, captures bishop).
  5. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen g7→f7, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, very long. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r7/bpp1k2Q/2n5/p3p3/2B1P3/P1P3Pb/1P3q2/R6K b - - 5 24

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