Chess Puzzle #235gy — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1063 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks b1/c1; bishops b3/f8; knight f5; pawns a4/c4/d3/e4/g4/h2. Black: king g8; queen b7; rooks b8/e8; bishop c6; knight c5; pawns a5/b4/e5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf8 — king g8→f8, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh6+ — queen d2→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen h6→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1r2rBk1/1q3p1p/2b3p1/p1n1pN2/PpP1P1P1/1B1P4/3Q3P/1RR3K1 b - - 0 27

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.