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

Position

White: king e1; queen h5; bishops e3/f1; knight b1; pawns a3/b5/c4/d3/e4/f2/g2. Black: king f7; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop a1; knight b3; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/e7/f6/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kf8 — king f7→f8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bh6+ — bishop e3→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
3. Best move: Qd5+ — queen h5→d5, gives check. Opponent replies e6 (pawn e7→e6).
4. Best move: Qxe6# — queen d5→e6, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxe6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2q3r/ppp1pk1p/3p1p2/1P5Q/2P1P3/Pn1PB3/5PP1/bN2KB2 b - - 3 17

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