Chess Puzzle #3mRi9 — Beginner, Black to move, opening

Rating 1145 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, opening, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e3; rooks d1/h1; bishops c3/f1; knight f3; pawns a3/b2/c2/d3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a2; rooks a8/h8; bishop g4; knights c6/g8; pawns a7/b7/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa1+ — queen a2→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Kd2 (king c1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxd1# — queen a1→d1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, opening, queenside attack, short. The combination ends with Qxd1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k1nr/ppp2ppp/2n5/4p3/6b1/P1BPQN2/qPP2PPP/2KR1B1R w kq - 9 12

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