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

Position

White: king h2; queen c2; rooks d1/g1; bishop b5; knight e5; pawns a5/b2/c3/f2/f3/h3. Black: king h7; queen e7; rooks a8/f8; bishop g7; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c5/f4/g6/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen e7→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen c2→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen g6→g7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/pp2q1bk/5npp/PBp1N3/5p2/2P2P1P/1PQ2P1K/3R2R1 b - - 0 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.