Chess Puzzle #1CmzJ — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 890 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king h1; queen g8; rook a1; bishop h3; knights a3/h6; pawns a2/b2/c3/e4/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen e3; rook f8; bishops b7/g7; pawns a7/b6/c7/e5/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook f8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight h6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rQk/pbp3bp/1p4pN/4p3/4P3/N1P1q1PB/PP5P/R6K b - - 5 22

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