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

Rating 1248 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f3; rook a1; pawns f2/h2/h3. Black: king a6; queen g5; knights a5/e4; pawns a7/b5/b6/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nd2 — knight e4→d2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxa5+ — rook a1→a5, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies bxa5 (pawn b6→a5, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qc6# — queen f3→c6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qc6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/p7/kp6/np4qp/4n3/5Q1P/5P1P/R6K b - - 11 38

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