Chess Puzzle #23Jhx — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 445 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f3; queen d1; rook a1; bishops c1/e2; pawns a3/b4/c2/f4. Black: king g8; queen h2; rooks a8/e4; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re6 — rook e4→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Re8 (rook e6→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8# — queen d8→e8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rn4k1/pp3ppp/2p5/8/1P2rP2/P4K2/2P1B2q/R1BQ4 b - - 2 19

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