Chess Puzzle #26saG — Intermediate, White to move, endgame

Rating 1555 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king a1; queen h8; rook h1; pawns a3/d4. Black: king f7; queen b5; knight e4; pawns a7/b7/d5/g6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc4 — queen b5→c4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh7+ — rook h1→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke6 (king f7→e6).
  3. Best move: Qe5# — queen h8→e5, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qe5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/pp3k2/6p1/1q1p4/3Pn3/P7/8/K6R b - - 1 37

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