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

Position

White: king f1; queen f2; rook c1; knight e5; pawns a2/b3/d4/e3/f4/g2. Black: king h7; queen e6; rooks g7/g8; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/g4/h4. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen e6→f5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxh4+ — queen f2→h4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qh5 (queen f5→h5).
3. Best move: Qxh5# — queen h4→h5, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxh5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6r1/1p4rk/p1p1q3/3pN3/3P1Ppp/1P2P3/P4QP1/2R2K2 b - - 0 39

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