Chess Puzzle #3HT3o — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1686 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short, X-ray attack.

Position

White: king h1; queen h6; rooks f1/g4; bishop g2; pawns f5/h3. Black: king h8; queen e5; rooks f7/f8; pawns a6/b5/c4/d6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf5 — rook f7→f5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf8+ — queen h6→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf8 (rook f5→f8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxf8# — rook f1→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short, X-ray attack. The combination ends with Rxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/5r1p/p2p3Q/1p2qP2/2p3R1/7P/6B1/5R1K b - - 3 35

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