Chess Puzzle #3KYRe — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1310 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e2; rooks d1/h1; bishops d3/e3; knights a4/f3; pawns a2/b3/c2/d5/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a5; rooks a8/h8; bishops b7/g7; knights b6/g8; pawns a6/b4/c5/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxb6 — knight a4→b6, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa3+ — queen a5→a3, gives check. Opponent replies Kb1 (king c1→b1).
  3. Best move: Qb2# — queen a3→b2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The combination ends with Qb2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k1nr/1b2ppbp/pn1p2p1/q1pP4/Np2P3/1P1BBN2/P1P1QPPP/2KR3R w kq - 1 12

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