Chess Puzzle #kk11K — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2323 · Expert · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice.

Position

White: king f3; queen d4; rooks a1/h1; knight h4; pawns a4/b4/d5/e3/h3. Black: king b8; queen c2; rooks f5/g8; pawns a7/b7/d6/h5. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf5 — knight h4→f5, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qg2+ — queen c2→g2, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king f3→f4).
  3. Best move: Rg4+ — rook g8→g4, gives check. Opponent replies hxg4 (pawn h3→g4, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxg4# — queen g2→g4, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qxg4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1k4r1/pp6/3p4/3P1r1p/PP1Q3N/4PK1P/2q5/R6R w - - 0 36

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