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

Rating 1369 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen e6; bishop e8; pawns a4/f7/g4/g5. Black: king g7; queen c3; rook f8; pawns b7/d2/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: d1=Q — pawn d2→d1, promotes to queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh6+ — queen e6→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen h6→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 4Br2/1p3Pkp/4Q3/6P1/P5P1/2q5/3p2K1/8 b - - 0 57

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