Chess Puzzle #0VC1X — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1764 · Advanced · endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d1; rook c8; bishop d6; pawns d4/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e3; rook f2; bishop h4; pawns b7/d5/e4/e6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kf7 — king g8→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h5→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2R3k1/1p4pp/3Bp3/3pP3/3Pp2b/4q3/5rPP/3Q3K b - - 5 26

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