Chess Puzzle #3dHug — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen a7; rook a1; bishop c1; knights b1/e2; pawns a2/b2/c2/e3/e4/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen h3; bishop f8; knights b8/g4; pawns c6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 9 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxb8 — queen a7→b8, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qxh2+ — queen h3→h2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g1→f1).
3. Best move: Qf2# — queen h2→f2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qf2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 1n3bk1/Q5pp/2p5/8/4P1n1/4P1Pq/PPP1N2P/RNB3K1 w - - 0 16

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