Chess Puzzle #0HxyC — Beginner, Black to move, endgame

Rating 1124 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; rook a1; pawns a2/a3/d4/h2. Black: king g8; queen e7; rook g7; pawns a6/b5. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc1 — rook a1→c1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe4+ — queen e7→e4, gives check. Opponent replies Qf3 (queen h5→f3).
  3. Best move: Qxf3# — queen e4→f3, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/4q1r1/p7/1p5Q/3P4/P7/P6P/R6K w - - 0 39

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