Chess Puzzle #392tN — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1213 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen e5; rooks d3/g2; knight d5; pawns a2/b3/c2/e6/f4/h2. Black: king h7; queen c5; rooks c8/d8; bishop e7; pawns a4/b4/f5/g6/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg6 — rook g2→g6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc2+ — queen c5→c2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ka1 (king b1→a1).
  3. Best move: Qc1# — queen c2→c1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qc1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2rr4/4b2k/4P1pp/2qNQp2/pp3P2/1P1R4/P1P3RP/1K6 w - - 0 33

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