Chess Puzzle #3WzXv — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1098 · Beginner · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishop g5; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e8; rook a8; bishops a7/c8; knight h5; pawns a6/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen e8→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Qe8 (queen e5→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe8# — queen d8→e8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b1q1k1/bpp2ppp/p7/4N1Bn/4P3/2P4P/PP3PP1/R2QR1K1 b - - 0 17

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