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

Rating 1268 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d5; knight f7; pawns a2/b3/c4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen a1; rook f8; bishop f1; pawns a7/b6/d7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf7 — rook f8→f7, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa8+ — queen d5→a8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen a8→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/p2p1Npp/1p6/3Q4/2P5/1P4P1/P4P1P/q4bK1 b - - 3 20

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