Chess Puzzle #1TbTe — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1275 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g3; rooks b8/d8; knight b3; pawns c4/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen e7; rook a3; bishops c2/g7; knight e5; pawns b4/b6/e6/f5/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxb3 — rook a3→b3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh8+ — rook d8→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Bxh8 (bishop g7→h8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg8# — queen g3→g8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1R1R4/4qpbk/1p2p2p/4np2/1pP5/rN4QP/2b3P1/7K b - - 4 40

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