Chess Puzzle #2574o — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 944 · Beginner · back rank mate, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; rook a7; bishop c6; pawns a2/b3/c4/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; rook f8; knight c3; pawns c5/e6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re7 — rook a7→e7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight c3→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Rf1# — rook f8→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/R5pp/2B1p3/2p1P3/2P5/1Pn5/P5PP/6K1 w - - 1 28

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