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

Position

White: king h1; queen g4; rook a1; bishops e5/f5; knight h4; pawns a3/b3/c2/h2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/f8; bishop c5; knight f4; pawns a7/b7/d5/g5/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bd4 — bishop c5→d4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bh7+ — bishop f5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king g8→h7, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Qd7+ — queen g4→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Rf7 (rook f8→f7).
4. Best move: Qxf7# — queen d7→f7, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, exposed king, kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp6/1q5p/2bpBBp1/5nQN/PP5P/2P4P/R6K b - - 1 23

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