Chess Puzzle #4yR5D — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1039 · Beginner · clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen g3; rook g5; bishop e5; pawns a4/c5/f4/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queens c2/e2; rooks d1/e6; pawns a7/b7/f5/f7/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 12 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf1 — queen e2→f1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh5+ — rook g5→h5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh5 (pawn g6→h5, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g3→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp3p1k/4r1p1/2P1BpRp/P4P2/6QP/2q1q1PK/3r4 b - - 0 36

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