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

Rating 1365 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rook c8; bishop g2; knight f5; pawns a2/d5/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen e8; bishops d7/e5; pawns a7/b7/f6/f7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxc8 — bishop d7→c8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4+ — queen f3→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g4→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 2R1q1k1/pp1b1p1p/5p2/3PbN2/8/5QPP/P4PB1/6K1 b - - 0 25

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