Chess Puzzle #2m6ue — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1574 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g4; queen d8; knight e4; pawns a2/b3/e3/g3/h4. Black: king g7; queen h1; pawns b5/e6/f5/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg5 — king g4→g5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: h6+ — pawn h7→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king g5→f4).
  3. Best move: Qxe4# — queen h1→e4, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxe4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3Q4/6kp/4p1p1/1p3p2/4N1KP/1P2P1P1/P7/7q w - - 0 40

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.