Chess Puzzle #1u35H — Intermediate, White to move, endgame

Rating 1408 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, queen endgame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen g3; pawns e5/g4/h3. Black: king h4; queen d1; pawns e2/e6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg5 — king h4→g5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3+ — queen g3→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh4 (king g5→h4).
  3. Best move: Qh6# — queen e3→h6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, queen endgame, short. The combination ends with Qh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/7p/4p1p1/4P3/6Pk/6QP/4p2K/3q4 b - - 2 49

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