Chess Puzzle #25Yhz — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1554 · Intermediate · attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks f1/g7; knight h5; pawns a4/b5/d4/e5/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d2; rooks c8/f8; knights b2/d7; pawns a5/b7/d5/e6/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc1 — rook c8→c1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh7+ — rook g7→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king h8→h7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g3→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r2r1k/1p1n1pR1/4p2p/pP1pP2N/P2P4/6Q1/1n1q2PP/5RK1 b - - 2 24

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.