Chess Puzzle #0GDl8 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen g4; rook g1; bishop d4; knight c3; pawns a2/d3/e6/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks c2/f8; bishop h4; pawns a5/c6/c7/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bf2 — bishop h4→f2. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen g4→g5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxg5 (queen d8→g5, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rxg5# — rook g1→g5, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pillsburys mate, short. The combination ends with Rxg5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3q1rk1/2p4p/2p1P3/p5p1/3B2Qb/2NP4/P1r4P/6RK b - - 3 26

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.