Chess Puzzle #hzSB1 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2443 · Master · crushing, defensive move, endgame, long.

Position

White: king d1; queen h6; bishop h3; pawns a3/c2/e3/e5/f6. Black: king g8; queen h2; rooks b8/e8; pawns a7/b7/c4/d5/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 9 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg1+ — queen h2→g1, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Kd2 — king d1→d2. Opponent replies c3+ (pawn c4→c3, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kxc3 — king d2→c3, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxe3+ (queen g1→e3, captures pawn, gives check).
  4. Best move: Qxe3 — queen h6→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, long. The key move is Kd2.

Position data

FEN: 1r2r1k1/pp3p1p/5PpQ/3pP3/2p5/P3P2B/2P4q/3K4 b - - 3 30

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