Chess Puzzle #1YXeO — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen d4; rooks d1/h1; bishop c4; pawns b3/e4/f3/g5/h5. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks e2/f8; bishop c8; knight b4; pawns b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bxe2 — bishop c4→e2, captures rook. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qa2+ — queen a5→a2, gives check. Opponent replies Kc1 (king b1→c1).
3. Best move: Qc2# — queen a2→c2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qc2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2b2rk1/1pp2ppp/8/q5PP/1nBQP3/1P3P2/4r3/1K1R3R w - - 0 24

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