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

Rating 791 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rook d1; bishop g2; knight a4; pawns a2/d6/e4/f3/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen a5; rook d7; bishops a6/g7; pawns a7/b6/e5/f5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa4 — queen a5→a4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e6→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop g7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen e8→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7k/p2r2bp/bp1PQ1p1/q3pp2/N3P3/5PP1/P5BP/3R2K1 b - - 2 24

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