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

Rating 695 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rook e1; bishop c2; knights a5/f3; pawns b4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/e8; bishops a1/c8; knight b5; pawns a6/e4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: exf3 — pawn e4→f3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen e3→e8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe8 (queen d8→e8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxe8# — rook e1→e8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Rxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1bqr1k1/5ppp/p7/Nn6/1P2p3/4QN2/2B2PPP/b3R1K1 b - - 1 23

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