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

Rating 1890 · Advanced · endgame, long, mate, mate in 3.

Position

White: king g1; queen h7; bishops g3/g6; pawns a3/b2/f2/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen c6; bishop e7; knight d6; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bf6 — bishop e7→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxd6+ — bishop g3→d6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qxd6 (queen c6→d6, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qh8+ — queen h7→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  4. Best move: Qe8# — queen h8→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/pp2b1pQ/2qnp1Bp/3p4/8/P5BP/1P3PP1/6K1 b - - 4 29

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