Chess Puzzle #24HII — Beginner, White to move, endgame

Position

White: king g1; queen c8; rook c1; knight e2; pawns a2/f3. Black: king g8; queen a8; pawns a6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

1. Opponent setup: Qxc8 — queen a8→c8, captures queen. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxc8# — rook c1→c8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, endgame, mate, mate in 1, one move. The combination ends with Rxc8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: q1Q3k1/5ppp/p7/8/8/5P2/P3N3/2R3K1 b - - 0 32

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