Chess Puzzle #XzCis — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; rooks a1/e2; knight f3; pawns a3/b4/d4/e3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d6; rook e8; bishop d8; pawns a6/b5/c6/d5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qg4 — queen g5→g4. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: f5 — pawn f7→f5. Opponent replies Qf4 (queen g4→f4).
3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen d6→f4, captures queen. Opponent replies exf4 (pawn e3→f4, captures queen).
4. Best move: Rxe2 — rook e8→e2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame. The key move is f5.

Position data

FEN: 3br1k1/5p1p/p1pq2p1/1p1p2Q1/1P1P4/P3PN1P/4R1P1/R5K1 w - - 1 28

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.