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

Rating 1167 · Beginner · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen h6; rook e1; bishop a2; knight e4; pawns a3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen a7; rooks a8/e8; bishop c5; pawns a4/b5/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bf8 — bishop c5→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h6→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/q4p1p/4p1pQ/1pb5/p3N3/P6P/B5PK/4R3 b - - 1 35

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