Chess Puzzle #0z3b2 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 836 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 1, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king f1; queen g8; rook a1; knight h6; pawns a2/c3/c4/d4/e2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; rooks a8/d8; pawns a7/b6/c7/d5/e4/g7/h7. White is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook d8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight h6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 1, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2r2Qk/p1p3pp/1p5N/3p4/2PPp3/2P3P1/P3P2P/R4K2 b - - 10 21

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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