Chess Puzzle #1Of3o — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1118 · Beginner · attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rook d8; knight b3; pawns e5/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen f2; bishop f8; knight c3; pawns a3/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne2 — knight c3→e2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf8+ — rook d8→f8, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qd8# — queen d3→d8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3R1bk1/5pp1/4p2p/4P3/8/pNnQ2PP/5q2/7K b - - 1 31

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