Chess Puzzle #00aCb — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1250 · Intermediate · clearance, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rooks c1/f1; bishops b1/f2; knight e4; pawns a2/b3/d4/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops e6/e7; knight d5; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf4 — knight d5→f4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen d3→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2q1rk1/pp2bpp1/2p1b2p/3nP3/3PN3/1P1Q3P/P4BP1/1BR2RK1 b - - 4 25

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