Chess Puzzle #t03XZ — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1855 · Advanced · clearance, crushing, deflection, endgame, long.

Position

White: king h2; queen a8; knight e8; pawns b5/c6/d4/f2/g2/g3. Black: king g7; queen g4; rook e1; bishop d3; pawns b6/d5/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh6 — king g7→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6 — knight e8→f6. Opponent replies Qd1 (queen g4→d1).
  3. Best move: Qf8+ — queen a8→f8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king h6→g5).
  4. Best move: Nxh7+ — knight f6→h7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

clearance, crushing, deflection, endgame, long. The key move Nxh7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: Q3N3/5pkp/1pP3p1/1P1p4/3P2q1/3b2P1/5PPK/4r3 b - - 3 35

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