Chess Puzzle #2E9ls — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1075 · Beginner · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen g8; rook d1; bishop e3; knight h6; pawns a2/c2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen g4; rooks a8/e8; bishop b2; pawns a7/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg8 — rook e8→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: r3r1Qk/p1p3pp/7N/8/6q1/4B1P1/PbP2P1P/3R2K1 b - - 4 25

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