Chess Puzzle #0va8T — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1259 · Intermediate · attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/f4; bishop e6; pawns a2/c2/c3/f5/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen f6; rooks a8/f8; bishop e4; knight b8; pawns a6/b5/d6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen f6→c3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh7+ — queen h5→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king h8→h7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rh4# — rook f4→h4, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rh4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rn3r1k/6pp/p2pBq2/1p3P1Q/4bR2/2P5/P1P3PP/R5K1 b - - 1 17

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