Chess Puzzle #1Qld8 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 844 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d3; rooks a1/h1; bishop c2; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/e3/e5/f3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/e8; bishop b7; knight e4; pawns a7/b6/c7/d5/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc3 — knight e4→c3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen d3→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: r3r1k1/pbp1qpp1/1p5p/3pP3/4n3/2NQPP2/PPB3PP/R3K2R b KQ - 0 15

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