Chess Puzzle #54Cgy — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h3; queen a7; rook h7; pawns c5/e3/f3/g3. Black: king f8; queen h2; rook c1; knight g4; pawns d4/d5/g6/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxg4 — king h3→g4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen h2→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king g4→f4).
3. Best move: Qf5# — queen h5→f5, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qf5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/Q6R/6pp/2Pp4/3p2n1/4PPPK/7q/2r5 w - - 0 36

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