Chess Puzzle #1KOnn — Beginner, White to move, opening

Rating 983 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen h5; rooks a1/h1; bishop f4; knight d2; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/e3/f2/g6/h4. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f7; bishops d7/e7; knights b8/e8; pawns a5/b5/c5/d5/e6/g7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf5 — rook f7→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rn1qn1k1/3bbrp1/4p1P1/pppp3Q/3P1B1P/2P1P3/PP1N1P2/R3K2R b KQ - 0 16

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