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

Rating 1094 · Beginner · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen e8; bishop d3; pawns a2/b2/f4/f5/g5/h2. Black: king g8; queen d6; bishop c3; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/c7/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf8 — queen d6→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc4+ — bishop d3→c4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen e8→f8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 4Q1k1/1pp3pp/p1nq1p2/5PP1/5P2/2bB4/PP5P/7K b - - 0 23

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