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

Rating 2599 · Master · discovered attack, discovered check, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king h2; queen g4; knight g6; pawns b2/d3/f6/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d5; rook e1; knight b4; pawns a7/b7/d4/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd6+ — queen d5→d6, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne5+ — knight g6→e5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qc8+ — queen g4→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen d6→d8).
  4. Best move: Qxd8# — queen c8→d8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

discovered attack, discovered check, endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pp3p2/5PNp/3q4/1n1p2Q1/3P3P/1P4PK/4r3 b - - 1 30

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