Chess Puzzle #wmfL8 — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2322 · Expert · clearance, crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g2; queen f2; rook a7; knight f1; pawns c3/d4/e5/f4/g5/h2. Black: king f8; queen g6; rook c1; knight f5; pawns c4/d5/e6/f7/g7/h4. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qb2 — queen f2→b2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne3+ — knight f5→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Nxe3 (knight f1→e3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qe4+ — queen g6→e4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh3 (king g2→h3).
  4. Best move: Qxe3+ — queen e4→e3, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

clearance, crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move Qxe3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/R4pp1/4p1q1/3pPnP1/2pP1P1p/2P5/5QKP/2r2N2 w - - 6 40

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