Chess Puzzle #1QSj1 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1477 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen b7; rooks e2/f1; bishop c2; pawns a2/b2/c3/f3/g2. Black: king h8; queen g3; rooks f8/h3; bishop b6; pawns a7/c7/e5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh3 — pawn g2→h3, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen g3→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rh2 (rook e2→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxf1# — queen h3→f1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/pQp3pp/1b6/4p3/8/2P2Pqr/PPB1R1P1/5R1K w - - 0 26

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