Chess Puzzle #b4mzp — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2362 · Expert · advantage, defensive move, endgame, fork, quiet move, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rook e2; knight h5; pawns a3/b3/f4/h2. Black: king g8; queen d7; rook a8; bishop c3; pawns a7/b7/c6/d6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ba5 — bishop c3→a5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg3 — queen d3→g3. Opponent replies Bb6+ (bishop a5→b6, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kh1 — king g1→h1. Opponent replies Bd4 (bishop b6→d4).
  4. Best move: Re5 — rook e2→e5. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  5. Best move: Nf6+ — knight h5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king g8→g7).
  6. Best move: Nxd7 — knight f6→d7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, endgame, fork, quiet move, very long. The key move is Qg3.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/pp1q1ppp/2pp4/7N/5P2/PPbQ4/4R2P/6K1 b - - 2 27

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