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

Rating 1250 · Intermediate · attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen d5; rooks a1/f1; bishop a3; pawns a4/b3/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen f2; rooks a8/g8; bishops b8/c2; pawns a7/b7/e5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd4 — queen f2→d4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg8+ — queen d5→g8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg8 (king h8→g8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rf8# — rook f1→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rb4rk/pp4pp/8/3Qp3/P7/BP5P/2b2qP1/R4R1K b - - 3 23

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