Chess Puzzle #1l28A — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 982 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen g8; rooks a1/e1; bishop c1; knight h6; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d4; rooks a8/d8; bishop f6; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook d8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight h6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2r2Qk/ppp3pp/2n2b1N/8/3q4/8/PPP2PPP/R1B1R1K1 b - - 8 21

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.