Chess Puzzle #ZpSS6 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1825 · Advanced · equality, long, middlegame, quiet move, X-ray attack.

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; rook f1; knight h4; pawns a2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e4; rooks c8/f8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c4/e5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg4 — queen e4→g4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf5 — knight h4→f5. Opponent replies Qg6 (queen g4→g6).
  3. Best move: Nh6+ — knight f5→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Qxh6 (queen g6→h6, captures knight).
  4. Best move: Qxh6 — queen f6→h6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame, quiet move, X-ray attack. The key move is Nf5.

Position data

FEN: 2r2rk1/pp3p1p/2n2Q2/4p3/2p1q2N/8/P4PPP/5RK1 b - - 1 21

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