Chess Puzzle #3EI1y — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1038 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rooks a1/e7; pawns a2/b2/d4/f2/f4. Black: king h8; queen h4; rook a8; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/c6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe2 — queen c4→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh2+ — queen h4→h2, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g1→f1).
  3. Best move: Qh1# — queen h2→h1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r6k/pp2R1pp/2p5/8/2QP1Pnq/8/PP3P2/R5K1 w - - 0 24

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.