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

Rating 883 · Beginner · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen h4; rook f4; bishop e6; pawns a2/d5/g2/g5/h3. Black: king g7; queen e5; rooks b2/f8; pawns c4/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh6+ — queen h4→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen h6→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/4ppkp/3pB1p1/3Pq1P1/2p2R1Q/7P/Pr4PK/8 b - - 3 30

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