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

Rating 471 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, pillsburys mate, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; rook e1; bishop h6; pawns a4/b2/c2/f4/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen c6; rook d5; knight g6; pawns a7/b7/c5/f7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxf6 — queen c6→f6, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Nf8 (knight g6→f8).
  3. Best move: Rxf8# — rook e8→f8, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, pillsburys mate, short. The combination ends with Rxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7k/pp3p1p/2q2QnB/2pr4/P4P2/6P1/1PP4P/4R1K1 b - - 0 25

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.