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

Rating 2250 · Expert · attraction, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; rook e1; bishop e7; pawns a2/c3/c4/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rook d2; bishop b5; pawns a7/b7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxc4 — bishop b5→c4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen f6→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh8 (king g8→h8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bf6+ — bishop e7→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
  4. Best move: Re8# — rook e1→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice. The combination ends with Re8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/ppq1Bp1p/5Qp1/1b6/2P2P2/2P4P/P2r2P1/4R1K1 b - - 0 31

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