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

Rating 982 · Beginner · endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rook a1; bishop e8; knight h4; pawns a2/b4/c2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen h6; bishops c3/h3; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxa1 — bishop c3→a1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f3→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qf8# — queen f7→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4B1k1/ppp2ppp/7q/8/1P5N/2b2QPb/P1P2P1P/R5K1 b - - 0 21

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