Chess Puzzle #oY1Bw — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2274 · Expert · attraction, fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king g2; queen d2; rooks g3/h1; pawns a2/c2/c3/d4/f2. Black: king g8; queen h5; rooks a8/f8; bishop d6; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen h5→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxg7+ — rook g3→g7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg7 (king g8→g7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh6+ — queen d2→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king g7→g8).
  4. Best move: Qh8# — queen h6→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp3pp1/2pb3p/3p3q/3P4/2P3R1/P1PQ1PK1/7R b - - 5 24

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