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

Rating 1514 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen b1; rooks d1/f4; bishop e2; knights h4/h5; pawns a2/b2/d4/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks c8/e8; bishops e6/f8; knights d7/e7; pawns a7/b7/d5/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight h5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king g8→g7).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen b1→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r1rbk1/pp1nnp2/1q2b2p/3pP2N/3P1R1N/7P/PP2B1P1/1Q1R2K1 b - - 0 26

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