Chess Puzzle #il7wY — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2239 · Expert · advantage, fork, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king h1; queen g5; rooks a1/d1; knight f3; pawns a2/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d3; rooks d8/e8; bishop e6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g6/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc3 — queen d3→c3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxd8 — rook d1→d8, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxa1+ (queen c3→a1, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kh2 — king h1→h2. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  4. Best move: Rxe8+ — rook d8→e8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  5. Best move: exf6 — pawn e5→f6, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, very long. The key move Rxe8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3rr1k1/pp3pp1/2p1b1p1/4P1Q1/8/3q1N1P/P5P1/R2R3K b - - 5 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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