Chess Puzzle #2J9wg — Beginner, Black to move, endgame

Rating 1161 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, queen endgame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c6; pawns a2/b5/f3/g2. Black: king h4; queen d4; pawns a7/b6/g3/h5. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc2 — queen c6→c2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa1+ — queen d4→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Qb1 (queen c2→b1).
  3. Best move: Qxb1# — queen a1→b1, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, queen endgame, short. The combination ends with Qxb1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/p7/1pQ5/1P5p/3q3k/5Pp1/P5P1/7K w - - 1 42

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.