Chess Puzzle #05RQN — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 867 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/e1; bishop c2; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e5/f2/g2/h4. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/e8; bishop b7; knight d7; pawns a5/b4/d5/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: hxg5 — pawn h6→g5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/1b1nqpp1/4p2p/p2pP1NQ/1p5P/2P5/PPB2PP1/R3R1K1 b - - 1 21

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.