Chess Puzzle #0H6qY — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e5; rook e1; bishops a2/g5; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks c8/d1; bishops b7/e7; knight f6; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (1 move)

1. Opponent setup: Qxc7 — queen e5→c7, captures queen. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Rxe1# — rook d1→e1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Why this works

After White captures Black's queen with 18.Qxc7, the rook on d1 delivers checkmate with 1...Rxe1#. The white king on g1 has no escape: h1 is controlled by the rook on e1, f1 is also controlled by the rook, and h2 is blocked by White's own pawn. The rook on e1 cannot be captured or blocked because no white piece can reach e1 or interpose on the first rank. White's last move—capturing the queen—was a tempo blunder that left the e1 square undefended and allowed Black's rook to deliver an unstoppable back-rank mate.

What to practice

Recognize when your opponent's aggressive capture abandons a critical square. Here, White's queen was the only defender of the e1 square; removing it with 18.Qxc7 created the mating square instantly. Train yourself to ask before capturing: 'Does my piece defend a back-rank square my king needs?' The pattern trains you to count defenders, not just material.

Tactical themes

hanging piece, kingside attack, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move. The combination ends with Rxe1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/1bq1bppp/p3pn2/1p2Q1B1/8/P1N5/BPP2PPP/3rR1K1 w - - 0 18

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