Chess Puzzle #3c7ak — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1038 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rook d3; bishop c4; knight d2; pawns a2/f4/g4/h3. Black: king d8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a7/b7/e7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf4 — rook f8→f4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen d4→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f4→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen h8→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2k1r2/ppqbp2p/6p1/8/2BQ1PP1/3R3P/P2N4/6K1 b - - 2 23

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