Chess Puzzle #38Ayv — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1230 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks d1/e1; bishop c2; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/f2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f5; rooks d8/f8; bishop e5; pawns a6/b7/d5/e4/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg4 — queen g3→g4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf2+ — queen f5→f2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qh2# — queen f2→h2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1rk1/1p4pp/p7/3pbq2/4p3/2N3QP/PPB2P2/3RR1K1 w - - 2 22

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