Chess Puzzle #26S1l — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 947 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen g8; rooks a1/d1; bishop g3; knight h6; pawns a3/b2/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen b6; rook a8; bishops g4/g7; knights c6/e7; pawns a7/b7/e5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook a8→g8, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf7# — knight h6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5Qk/pp2n1bp/1qn3pN/4p3/4P1b1/P5B1/1P3PPP/R2R2K1 b - - 9 21

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