Chess Puzzle #0w2hM — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1013 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; rook a1; bishop e4; knights d5/g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks a8/f4; bishops c8/f2; knight h4; pawns a7/b7/c7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg5 — queen e7→g5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen h5→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f4→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen e8→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b4k/ppp1q1p1/7p/3N2NQ/4Br1n/7P/PPP2bP1/R6K b - - 1 21

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