Chess Puzzle #18ZBX — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1085 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen d3; knight e7; pawns a4/g2/h3. Black: king h8; rooks b1/e1; knight g5; pawns a6/c5/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne4 — knight g5→e4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d3→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king h8→h7).
  3. Best move: Qg8# — queen d8→g8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qg8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7k/4N1p1/p6p/2p3n1/P7/3Q3P/6PK/1r2r3 b - - 6 41

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.