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

Rating 1225 · Intermediate · deflection, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/h6; bishop f7; knight b1; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/e4/g2/h2. Black: king h7; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight g8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxh6 — knight g8→h6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg6+ — queen h5→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxh6# — queen g6→h6, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rn1/ppp2B1k/3p3R/7Q/3PP3/2P5/PP4PP/RN4K1 b - - 0 15

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.