Chess Puzzle #pg9xO — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rook d1; bishop d3; knight b6; pawns a3/b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks d8/h8; bishops c6/f8; knight g8; pawns a6/b7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen c7→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bg6+ — bishop d3→g6, gives check. Opponent replies hxg6 (pawn h7→g6, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Rxd8+ — rook d1→d8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kxd8 (king e8→d8, captures rook).
4. Best move: Qc8# — queen e6→c8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, discovered attack, exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qc8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3rkbnr/1pq3pp/pNb1Q3/8/8/P2B4/1P3PPP/3R2K1 b k - 0 19

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