Chess Puzzle #sK76g — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen c7; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; pawns a3/b2/c2/d4/e4/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen g4; rooks e8/h8; knights f6/g6; pawns a7/d6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxe4 — queen g4→e4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxf6+ — rook f1→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures rook).
3. Best move: Bh6+ — bishop c1→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
4. Best move: Qg7# — queen c7→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4rk1r/p1Q3pp/3p1nn1/8/3PP1q1/P7/1PP3PP/R1B2RK1 b - - 0 17

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