Chess Puzzle #3o5YR — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1297 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen e3; rooks c6/f1; bishop b3; knight h2; pawns a2/d5/f2. Black: king g8; queen d7; rook h4; bishop f8; knight g5; pawns e5/f7/g6. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg5 — queen e3→g5, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh3+ — queen d7→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king g2→g1).
  3. Best move: Qxh2# — queen h3→h2, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5bk1/3q1p2/2R3p1/3Pp1n1/7r/1B2Q3/P4PKN/5R2 w - - 0 35

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