Chess Puzzle #1wJVV — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1766 · Advanced · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen c7; rook d1; knight d6; pawns a3/b2/c2/e3. Black: king a6; queen g2; rook h8; pawns a7/b6/e5/h2. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h1=Q — pawn h2→h1, promotes to queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc4+ — queen c7→c4, gives check. Opponent replies b5 (pawn b6→b5).
  3. Best move: Qxb5# — queen c4→b5, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxb5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7r/p1Q5/kp1N4/4p3/8/P3P3/1PP3qp/2KR4 b - - 0 33

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