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

Rating 1332 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, pillsburys mate, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c2; rook f1; bishop d3; pawns a2/b3/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen e3; rook d8; bishop b7; pawns a7/d4/e6/g7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc8 — rook d8→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc8+ — queen c2→c8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Bxc8 (bishop b7→c8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rf8# — rook f1→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, pillsburys mate, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r3k/pb4p1/4p3/8/3p4/1P1Bq2P/P1Q3P1/5R1K b - - 0 29

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