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

Rating 1073 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a4; rooks a8/f1; bishop d2; pawns a2/c3/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king f7; queen c8; rook h8; bishop e6; knights e5/g8; pawns d6/e7/f6/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc7 — queen c8→c7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen a4→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king f7→g7).
  3. Best move: Qf8# — queen e8→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: R1q3nr/4pk1p/3pbpp1/4n3/Q3P3/2P5/P2B1PPP/5RK1 b - - 5 20

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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