Chess Puzzle #2IpY5 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen f5; rook f1; bishop g5; pawns a2/c4/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e7; rook h7; bishop d4; knight e6; pawns a7/b7/c6/g7/h5. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxg5 — knight e6→g5, captures bishop. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qc8+ — queen f5→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen e7→d8).
3. Best move: Qxd8# — queen c8→d8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pp2q1pr/2p1n3/4PQBp/2Pb4/7P/P5P1/5R1K b - - 8 29

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