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

Rating 828 · Beginner · deflection, endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d3; rooks h1/h8; pawns a4/b2/c2/f4/g4/g5. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/e2; knight g6; pawns a6/b7/c5/d4/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxh8 — knight g6→h8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen d3→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxh8# — queen h7→h8, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5kR/1p2qpp1/p5n1/2p3P1/P2p1PP1/3Q4/1PP1r3/2K4R b - - 2 28

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