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

Position

White: king g1; queen d8; knight f1; pawns e7/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c1; rook b8; pawns a7/c4/c5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

1. Opponent setup: Rxd8 — rook b8→d8, captures queen. Now White to move.
2. Best move: exd8=Q# — pawn e7→d8, captures rook, promotes to queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, back rank mate, endgame, master, mate, mate in 1, one move, promotion. The combination ends with exd8=Q# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1r1Q2k1/p3Pppp/8/2p5/2p5/8/5PPP/2q2NK1 b - - 1 26

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