Chess Puzzle #2TbQ8 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; rooks e1/e7; bishop h3; pawns a4/b4/c5/f2/f4/h2. Black: king c6; rooks a8/g8; knight c7; pawns b7/d5/f6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

1. Opponent setup: Rxa4 — rook a8→a4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bd7# — bishop h3→d7, delivers checkmate.

Why this works

After 1.Bd7#, the bishop on d7 delivers checkmate to the Black king on c6. The king has no escape squares: b5 is controlled by White's pawn on a4, c5 is occupied by White's own pawn, d6 is controlled by the bishop on d7, d5 is occupied by Black's own pawn, and b6 is also controlled by the bishop. The rook on e7 guards the seventh rank and prevents any back-rank defense. Black cannot block the check or capture the bishop—the knight on c7 cannot reach d7 in one move, and neither Black rook can interpose on the c-file or defend d7. The king is completely boxed in.

What to practice

In endgames with restricted kings, look for moves that simultaneously attack and cut off all escape squares. The bishop on d7 is lethal precisely because it controls the critical light squares (b5, c6, d6) around a king already hemmed in by pawns and the rook on e7. Train yourself to spot when a single piece placement closes off the last flight squares and converts a dominant position into immediate checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 1, one move. The combination ends with Bd7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5r1/1pn1R1pp/2k2p2/2Pp4/PP3P2/7B/5P1P/2K1R3 b - - 0 30

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