Chess Puzzle #1ChAw — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 981 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king h1; queen b7; rooks a1/f1; bishop a2; pawns a4/d5/f5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen g1; rooks c3/f8; knight h3; pawns a6/d6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg1 — rook f1→g1, captures queen. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf2# — knight h3→f2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1Q3ppp/p2p4/3P1P2/P7/2r4n/B5PP/R4RqK w - - 7 27

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