Chess Puzzle #3w1IO — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1050 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h8; rooks f7/g1; pawns a4/b3/d4/g2/h3. Black: king a7; queen e3; rook g3; pawns a5/b7/c6/d5/e4/h5. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh7 — queen h8→h7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh3+ — rook g3→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh3# — queen e3→h3, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/kp3R2/2p5/p2p3p/P2Pp3/1P2q1rP/6P1/6RK w - - 0 29

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