Chess Puzzle #04l90 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 855 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king h1; queen g8; rooks a1/f1; bishop c3; knights e4/h6; pawns a2/b2/c4/d3/f4/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen c7; rooks a8/d8; bishops c8/e7; knight d7; pawns a5/c5/c6/f6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook d8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight h6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1br2Qk/2qnb1pp/2p2p1N/p1p5/2P1NP2/2BP4/PP4PP/R4R1K b - - 6 20

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