Chess Puzzle #iJ5Cu — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1964 · Advanced · attraction, crushing, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen h8; rooks b1/f1; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/g5. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks a8/d3; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/d5/e6/f7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke7 — king e8→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf7+ — rook f1→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf7 (king e7→f7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h8→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f7→e8).
  4. Best move: Qxc7 — queen h7→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice, skewer. The key move Rxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2Q/1pq2p2/p1n1p3/3p2P1/3P4/2Pr4/PP6/1R3R1K b q - 1 23

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