Chess Puzzle #46DyE — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1244 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; bishop f1; knight e5; pawns d4/e2/f2/h4/h6. Black: king f8; queens a1/d6; rook d8; bishop c8; knight f6; pawns b6/d5/f7. Black is ahead by 12 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd4 — queen a1→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg7+ — queen g5→g7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  3. Best move: Qxf7# — queen g7→f7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2br1k2/5p2/1p1q1n1P/3pN1Q1/3P3P/8/4PP2/q4BK1 b - - 1 35

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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