Chess Puzzle #28S94 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1904 · Advanced · arabian mate, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen e2; rooks d1/h1; bishop c1; knights e4/g3; pawns a2/b3/c2/f3/g5/h4. Black: king g8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/e7; knights d5/d6; pawns b4/b5/c6/e5/f7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd6 — knight e4→d6, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc3+ — knight d5→c3, gives check. Opponent replies Ka1 (king b1→a1).
  3. Best move: Rxa2# — rook a8→a2, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

arabian mate, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Rxa2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/4bp2/2pn2p1/1p1np1Pp/1p2N2P/1P3PN1/P1P1Q3/1KBR3R w - - 1 23

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.