Chess Puzzle #06ayb — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1100 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h1; rook d1; bishop d3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4. Black: king h8; queen e8; rooks a8/e7; knight b6; pawns a7/b7/f7/g5/g7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h1→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r3q2k/pp2rpp1/1n6/6p1/3P4/2PB4/PP6/2KR3Q b - - 1 23

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