Chess Puzzle #05W1D — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 904 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king f1; queen g8; rook g1; bishop c1; knight h6; pawns a3/d3/e3/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen a5; rooks b8/c8; bishops g4/h4; pawns f5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook c8→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: 1rr3Qk/6pp/7N/q4p2/6bb/P2PP1P1/5P1P/2B2KR1 b - - 7 28

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