Chess Puzzle #0B6OL — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 861 · Beginner · master, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen g8; rooks c1/c5; knight h6; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen a6; rooks a8/c8; knight b8; pawns a7/c6/f6/g7/h7. White 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

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

Position data

FEN: rnr3Qk/p5pp/q1p2p1N/2R5/3P4/4P3/PP3PPP/2R3K1 b - - 6 22

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.