Chess Puzzle #4CnrZ — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1019 · Beginner · endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rook f7; bishop b1; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/g2/g3/h2. Black: king h7; queen b6; rook c8; bishop d7; knight d8; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/g6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf7 — knight d8→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen d3→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen g6→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2rn4/pp1b1R1k/1q2p1p1/3p4/3P4/3QP1P1/PP4PP/1B4K1 b - - 0 23

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.