Chess Puzzle #23yj5 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 969 · Beginner · epaulette mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king d1; queen h5; rooks f1/h1; bishop g5; pawns a2/c3/d4/g2/h6. Black: king h7; queen b2; rooks a8/h8; bishops e6/g3; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e4. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen b2→c3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rf7+ — rook f1→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Bxf7 (bishop e6→f7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxf7# — queen h5→f7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

epaulette mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rn5r/pp5k/2p1b2P/6BQ/3Pp3/2P3b1/Pq4P1/3K1R1R b - - 1 21

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