Chess Puzzle #t78Po — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2035 · Expert · kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen a2; rooks a1/e5; bishops b3/c1; knight d2; pawns a5/c3/d3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen h4; rooks b8/f8; bishops f2/h5; knight e3; pawns a6/c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne4 — knight d2→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen h4→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bf3+ — bishop h5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king h1→h2).
  4. Best move: Nf1# — knight e3→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with Nf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1r3rk1/2p2ppp/p7/P3R2b/7q/1BPPn2P/Q2N1bP1/R1B4K w - - 4 21

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