Chess Puzzle #42PHE — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1159 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g6; rook d1; knight h6; pawns b4/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen e7; rook b3; bishop g7; pawns a6/b7/c7/e6/f4/g5. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxb4 — rook b3→b4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd8+ — rook d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Qxd8 (queen e7→d8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qf7# — queen g6→f7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/1pp1q1b1/p3p1QN/6p1/1P3p2/1r5P/6P1/3R2K1 b - - 0 31

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