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

Rating 2298 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, very long.

Position

White: king c1; queen h7; rook h5; bishop h6; pawns b2/b3/c2/e4/f3. Black: king f7; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a4/b7/c3/d6/f6/g4. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke6 — king f7→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxf8 — bishop h6→f8, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxf8 (queen d8→f8, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qf5+ — queen h7→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king e6→e7).
  4. Best move: Rh7+ — rook h5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Qf7 (queen f8→f7).
  5. Best move: Rxf7+ — rook h7→f7, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, very long. The key move Rxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2q1r2/1p1b1k1Q/3p1p1B/7R/p3P1p1/1Pp2P2/1PP5/2K5 b - - 3 23

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