Chess Puzzle #1fjqi — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1204 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d7; rooks c1/c7; knight h4; pawns c2/e5/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen a2; rooks a8/g8; knight e3; pawns a6/f2/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Raf8 — rook a8→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng6+ — knight h4→g6, gives check. Opponent replies hxg6 (pawn h7→g6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh3# — queen d7→h3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5rk/2RQ2pp/p7/4P3/7N/4n3/q1P2pPP/2R4K b - - 2 25

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.