Chess Puzzle #1t6RM — Beginner, White to move, opening

Rating 889 · Beginner · fork, long, mate, mate in 3, opening.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; knights d5/g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/f2/g2/h4. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/e8; bishops c8/e7; knights c6/f6; pawns b5/b7/c5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd5 — knight f6→d5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f3→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen f7→e8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop e7→f8).
  4. Best move: Qxf8# — queen e8→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, long, mate, mate in 3, opening. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b1r1k1/1pq1bppp/2n2n2/1ppN2N1/7P/3P1Q2/PPP2PP1/R1B2RK1 b - - 0 13

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