Chess Puzzle #0Sc4U — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1087 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king e2; queen h5; rooks g1/h1; pawns a3/b2/c3/d3/e4/f3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks a8/f8; bishop f6; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen e7→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh6+ — queen h5→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh6 (pawn g7→h6, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxh6# — rook h1→h6, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pp2qpp1/5b1p/7Q/4P3/P1PP1P2/1P2K3/6RR b - - 4 21

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