Chess Puzzle #29sux — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 981 · Beginner · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen c3; knight h5; pawns a4/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen a2; bishop f1; pawns a7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh6 — king g7→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg7+ — queen c3→g7, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh5 (king h6→h5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen g7→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/p4pkp/6p1/7N/P4P2/2Q4P/q5PK/5b2 b - - 10 43

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