Chess Puzzle #03BAr — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1314 · Intermediate · endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; rook c2; knight f3; pawns b4/d4/e5/f2/g2/h6. Black: king g8; queen d8; rook c8; pawns a6/b7/d5/e6/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg5 — queen d8→g5, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxc8+ — rook c2→c8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen g5→d8).
  3. Best move: Rxd8# — rook c8→d8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2rq2k1/1p3p1p/p3p1pP/3pP1Q1/1P1P4/5N2/2R2PP1/6K1 b - - 0 39

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