Chess Puzzle #3sdyw — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1604 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen d1; rook a1; bishop d3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c4/d5/f5/g3. Black: king e8; queen e3; rooks a8/h5; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/f4/f7/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe1 — queen d1→e1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: f3+ — pawn f4→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g2→f1).
  3. Best move: Rh1# — rook h5→h1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Rh1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k3/ppp2pp1/3p4/3P1P1r/2P2p2/2NBq1P1/PP4K1/R2Q4 w q - 0 22

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.