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

Position

White: king c1; queen g7; bishop d3; knight g4; pawns c5/d4/e3/g3. Black: king e7; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a2/c3/c7/d5/e6/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kd8 — king e7→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf8+ — queen g7→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Be8 (bishop d7→e8).
3. Best move: Qf6+ — queen f8→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kc8 (king d8→c8).
4. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen f6→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Bd7 (bishop e8→d7).
5. Best move: Qg8+ — queen e6→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Kb7 (king c8→b7).
6. Best move: Qxd5+ — queen g8→d5, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, hanging piece, very long. The key move Qxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/2pbk1Q1/4p2p/2Pp4/3P2N1/2pBP1P1/p7/2K5 b - - 0 34

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.