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

Rating 1200 · Intermediate · clearance, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h2; queen d7; rook c7; knight f7; pawns a3/d4/e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e1; rook f8; bishop f5; pawns a5/c2/d5/e6/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: c1=Q — pawn c2→c1, promotes to queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxh6+ — knight f7→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh6 (pawn g7→h6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen d7→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/2RQ1Np1/4p2p/p2p1b2/3P4/P3P2P/2p2PPK/4q3 b - - 2 30

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.