Chess Puzzle #02NrU — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1222 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen f3; rook h8; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e3/e5/g2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop d6; pawns a5/b7/c6/e6/g6/g7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxh8 — king g8→h8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh3+ — queen f3→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen h3→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rkR/1pq3p1/2pbp1p1/p3P1N1/8/2P1PQ2/PP4P1/2K5 b - - 1 20

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