Chess Puzzle #17TT9 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1337 · Intermediate · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen g6; rooks g1/g3; bishop d3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks f7/f8; bishop d6; knights d7/h7; pawns a7/b5/c6/e5. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf6 — queen e7→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg8+ — queen g6→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxg8 (rook f8→g8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxg8# — rook g3→g8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxg8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/p2nqr1n/2pb2Q1/1p2p3/3P4/3B2RP/PPP5/2K3R1 b - - 5 23

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