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

Rating 1390 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks b7/f1; pawns a3/c5/c6/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c7; queen e4; rook g8; bishops c8/e7; pawns a7/c3/f5/f7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxb7 — bishop c8→b7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd7+ — queen d4→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kb8 (king c7→b8).
  3. Best move: Qxb7# — queen d7→b7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxb7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2b3r1/pRk1bp1p/2P5/2P2p2/3Qq3/P1p5/5PPP/5RK1 b - - 3 25

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