Chess Puzzle #17QlI — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1309 · Intermediate · attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g2; rook g7; knight f5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d5/e4/h2. Black: king h8; queen h3; rooks d8/f8; pawns a5/b7/c5/d6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd3 — queen h3→d3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh7+ — rook g7→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king h8→h7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g2→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1r1k/1p4Rp/3p4/p1pP1N2/4P3/2P4q/PP4QP/7K b - - 2 33

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