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

Rating 2259 · Expert · deflection, equality, hanging piece, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen h7; bishop b3; knight h8; pawns a2/d2/f2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a6; rook a8; bishops c5/c8; knight g8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d7/g6. Black is ahead by 9 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf6 — queen a6→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg8+ — queen h7→g8, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qf8 (queen f6→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen g8→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
  4. Best move: Nf7+ — knight h8→f7, gives check.

Tactical themes

deflection, equality, hanging piece, long, middlegame. The key move Qxg8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k1nN/pppp3Q/q5p1/2b5/8/1B6/P2P1P1P/6K1 b q - 9 21

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