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

Rating 1124 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king f5; queen e3; bishop d2; pawns a3/b2/c3/d4/f3/g3. Black: king h7; queen h5; knight f7; pawns a5/c4/g7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke4 — king f5→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd6+ — knight f7→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king e4→f4).
  3. Best move: Qf5# — queen h5→f5, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qf5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/5npk/8/p4K1q/2pP4/P1P1QPP1/1P1B4/8 w - - 0 48

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