Chess Puzzle #1W5eD — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 824 · Beginner · endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen e4; rooks f1/g1; pawns a3/b4/c4/e3/f2/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen e2; rooks g6/h5; pawns a5/b6/c7/d6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re6 — rook g6→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa8+ — queen e4→a8, gives check. Opponent replies Re8 (rook e6→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8# — queen a8→e8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/2p2ppp/1p1p2r1/p6r/1PP1Q2P/P3P1P1/4qP1K/5RR1 b - - 10 37

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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