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

Rating 1688 · Advanced · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d3; rooks h1/h7; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/f2/g5. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks d8/f8; bishop g7; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f4/g6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe3 — pawn f4→e3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg6 — queen d3→g6, captures pawn. Opponent replies e2 (pawn e3→e2).
  3. Best move: Rh8# — rook h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, short. The combination ends with Rh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1rk1/ppp1q1bR/2n3p1/6P1/2NP1p2/3QP3/PP3P2/2K4R b - - 0 19

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