Chess Puzzle #27Nod — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 623 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen f3; rook d1; knight g3; pawns a2/b4/e5/f2/f4/g2. Black: king e8; queen h7; rooks b7/h8; bishop a7; pawns a6/d3/e6/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb7 — queen f3→b7, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh1+ — queen h7→h1, gives check. Opponent replies Nxh1 (knight g3→h1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxh1# — rook h8→h1, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxh1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4k2r/br3p1q/p3p1p1/4P3/1P3P2/3p1QN1/P4PP1/3R1K2 w k - 0 28

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