Chess Puzzle #41SwU — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1062 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h6; rook d1; pawns a3/b2/c2/e3/e4/g2/g4. Black: king f6; queen c4; rooks a8/f8; pawns a7/b7/c6/d6/e5/f7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke7 — king f6→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd6+ — queen h6→d6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king e7→e8).
  3. Best move: Qd7# — queen d6→d7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qd7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/pp3p2/2pp1k1Q/4p3/2q1P1P1/P3P3/1PP3P1/3R2K1 b - - 0 21

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