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

Rating 1086 · Beginner · hanging piece, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king d1; queen d5; rooks a1/h1; knights d2/d4; pawns a2/b2/c3/e3/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen g3; rooks a8/f2; bishop c5; knight d3; pawns a7/c7/e4/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxd4 — bishop c5→d4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxa8+ — queen d5→a8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f2→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen a8→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r6k/p1p3pp/8/2bQ4/3Np3/2PnP1qP/PP1N1rP1/R2K3R b - - 1 20

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