Chess Puzzle #09EHY — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 928 · Beginner · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h8; bishop c1; pawns a3/d4/g2/g6. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight e5; pawns b4/b7/d5/e6/g7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxh8 — king g8→h8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen h5→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rkR/1p4p1/1q2p1P1/3pn3/1p1P4/P7/6P1/R1BQK3 b Q - 1 21

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