Chess Puzzle #yCXxJ — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2379 · Expert · long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; rooks e6/f1; bishop e2; knight g5; pawns a2/f4/g3/h2. Black: king f5; rooks a8/h8; bishop b7; knights b8/f6; pawns a6/b5/c4/c6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h6 — pawn h7→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re5+ — rook e6→e5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king f5→g6).
  3. Best move: f5+ — pawn f4→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg5 (king g6→g5, captures knight).
  4. Best move: h4# — pawn h2→h4, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame, sacrifice. The combination ends with h4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rn5r/1b4pp/p1p1Rn2/1p3kN1/2p2P2/6P1/P3B2P/5RK1 b - - 0 19

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

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