Chess Puzzle #20CbI — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1484 · Intermediate · discovered attack, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rook a1; bishop d6; knight e4; pawns a5/b2/e5/g3/g7/h2. Black: king g8; queen c6; rooks a8/e8; bishop a6; pawns a7/b6/c5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bb7 — bishop a6→b7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg7 (king g8→g7, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen c2→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

discovered attack, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/p4pPp/bpqB4/P1p1P3/4N3/6P1/1PQ4P/R5K1 b - - 2 25

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

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