Chess Puzzle #3skrr — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1590 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king c2; queen h8; rook h1; bishop e2; knight e1; pawns c3/c4/e4/g3/h3. Black: king e7; queen a2; bishop e6; pawns a7/b7/c6/e5/f7/h6. White is ahead by 7 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kd3 — king c2→d3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Bxc4+ — bishop e6→c4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ke3 (king d3→e3).
  3. Best move: Qxe2# — queen a2→e2, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxe2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/pp2kp2/2p1b2p/4p3/2P1P3/2P3PP/q1K1B3/4N2R w - - 0 25

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