Chess Puzzle #4V7IH — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1350 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishops c2/e3; knights c3/e4; pawns a4/b2/d4/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops f5/f8; knights d7/e7; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/f7/g4/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: h5 — pawn h6→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd6# — knight e4→d6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, smothered mate. The combination ends with Nd6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/pp1nnp2/2p1p2p/4Pb2/P2PNPp1/2N1B3/1PB3PP/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 3 15

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