Chess Puzzle #3sT2N — Intermediate, Black to move, endgame

Rating 1204 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f8; bishop a3; pawns g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen c4; knight f6; pawns f3/f5/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxf6 — queen f8→f6, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf1+ — queen c4→f1, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king h1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxg2# — queen f1→g2, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxg2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5Q2/7k/5np1/5p1p/2q5/B4p1P/6P1/7K w - - 0 45

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.