Chess Puzzle #51wy6 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1446 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen h6; rooks b1/h1; bishop d3; knight g5; pawns a3/c3/c4/d5/e3/f2/g2/h4. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a8/e8; bishop g4; knight a6; pawns a7/b7/c5/d6/f7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxb7 — rook b1→b7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen f6→c3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king e1→f1).
  3. Best move: Qc1# — queen c3→c1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qc1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/pp3p2/n2p1qpQ/2pP2Np/2P3bP/P1PBP3/5PP1/1R2K2R w K - 5 20

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