Chess Puzzle #3o5jb — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1452 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h2; rook d6; bishop h4; knight h5; pawns a2/b3/e5/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g6; rook a8; bishops c6/e3; pawns a7/b7/f7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxh5 — king g6→h5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: g4+ — pawn g2→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh4 (king h5→h4, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Rxh6# — rook d6→h6, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r7/pp3p2/2bR2kp/4P2N/5P1B/1P2b2P/P5PK/8 b - - 2 36

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.