Chess Puzzle #4PbLb — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen g6; rooks a1/h1; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/e3/g2/h4. Black: king f8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop g7; knight f6; pawns a6/b5/c7/e7/h5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe8 — queen d8→e8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne6+ — knight g5→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen g6→g7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2q1k1r/2p1p1b1/p4nQ1/1p4Np/3P3P/2P1P3/PP4P1/R3K2R b KQ - 0 19

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