Chess Puzzle #1qP7r — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 972 · Beginner · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h3; rook f7; knight e5; pawns f4/g4/h2. Black: king h6; rook c2; bishop b3; knight c4; pawns a4/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight c4→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: g5+ — pawn g4→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh5 (king h6→h5).
  3. Best move: Rxh7# — rook f7→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/5R1p/6pk/4N3/p1n2PP1/1b5K/2r4P/8 b - - 0 35

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