Chess Puzzle #17mit — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 833 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king d3; queen a5; rook e3; bishop e2; pawns a2/b2/c5/d4. Black: king c7; queen f4; rooks f2/g7; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/f5/f6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kc8 — king c7→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e3→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kd7 (king c8→d7).
  3. Best move: Qd8# — queen a5→d8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, queenside attack, short. The combination ends with Qd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/1pk3r1/p1p2p2/Q1Pp1p2/3P1q2/3KR3/PP2Br2/8 b - - 1 36

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