Chess Puzzle #21JAW — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 444 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, queenside attack.

Position

White: king c1; queen f6; rooks d1/e1; bishop d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g4/h3. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks a8/g8; bishops e7/g6; pawns a7/b5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxa8 — bishop d5→a8, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc2# — queen c7→c2, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, queenside attack. The combination ends with Qxc2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k1r1/p1q1bp1p/5Qb1/1p1B4/6P1/7P/PPP2P2/2KRR3 w q - 1 20

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.