Chess Puzzle #45Xog — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1124 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks g3/h4; pawns a2/b4/e4/g2/h2. Black: king h7; queen e7; rooks e6/f8; pawns a6/b7/c6/f7/g6/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h5 — pawn h6→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh5+ — rook h4→h5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh5 (pawn g6→h5, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen d4→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/1p2qp1k/p1p1r1pp/8/1P1QP2R/6R1/P5PP/6K1 b - - 3 27

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