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

Rating 1450 · Intermediate · back rank mate, endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 1, one move.

Position

White: king g1; rooks a1/e1; bishop c5; pawns a2/b3/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; rooks b5/e8; pawns a7/b7/d5/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxc5 — rook b5→c5, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxe8# — rook e1→e8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 1, one move, rook endgame. The combination ends with Rxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4r1k1/pp3ppp/8/1rBp4/8/1PP5/P4PPP/R3R1K1 b - - 0 23

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