Chess Puzzle #35jXV — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1030 · Beginner · Anastasia’s mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen f3; rooks a1/g2; bishop d1; knight d2; pawns a4/b2/c3/e3/e4/g3. Black: king h8; queen g6; rooks a8/g8; knight e2; pawns a7/b7/d3/d6/e5/f6/f7/g4. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen f3→f5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh6+ — queen g6→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Qh5 (queen f5→h5).
  3. Best move: Qxh5# — queen h6→h5, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

Anastasia’s mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5rk/pp3p2/3p1pq1/4p3/P3P1p1/2PpPQP1/1P1Nn1RK/R2B4 w - - 0 30

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