Chess Puzzle #3Hz6n — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1205 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rook b1; bishop a2; pawns f2/g2/h3. Black: king b7; queen d4; rook f8; bishop a3; knight c2; pawns a6/d7/e6/g5/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ka7 — king b7→a7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc7+ — queen c4→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Ka8 (king a7→a8).
  3. Best move: Qb7# — queen c7→b7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qb7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/1k1p4/p3p2p/6p1/2Qq4/b6P/B1n2PP1/1R4K1 b - - 1 27

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.