Chess Puzzle #thd38 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen g4; knight f6; pawns a3/b2/f3/g5. Black: king f5; queen e7; rook d3; bishop e6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ke5 — king f5→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe4+ — queen g4→e4, gives check. Opponent replies Kd6 (king e5→d6).
3. Best move: Qf4+ — queen e4→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king d6→c5).
4. Best move: Qb4# — queen f4→b4, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, long, mate, mate in 3. The combination ends with Qb4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp2qp2/2p1bN2/5kP1/6Q1/P2r1P2/1P6/1K6 b - - 3 31

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