Chess Puzzle #3f7hY — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen f7; pawns a3/c4/f4/g2/h3. Black: king d7; queen d4; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kc6 — king d7→c6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen f7→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kb6 (king c6→b6).
3. Best move: Qb5# — queen e8→b5, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, master, mate, mate in 2, queen endgame, short. The combination ends with Qb5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/pppk1Q2/3p2p1/7p/2Pq1P2/P6P/6PK/8 b - - 0 30

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