Chess Puzzle #1sg09 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1029 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen d5; bishop h6; pawns b3/c2/f4/h3. Black: king g8; queen e7; knight f5; pawns b5/c7/d6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf7 — queen e7→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa8+ — queen d5→a8, gives check. Opponent replies Qe8 (queen f7→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8# — queen a8→e8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/2p1q2p/3p2pB/1p1Q1n2/5P2/1P5P/2P5/1K6 b - - 3 33

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