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

Rating 1398 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h4; queen f7; bishop b2; pawns a2/b5/g3/h3. Black: king h8; queen f1; rook f4; pawns a7/b7/c7/f5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxf4 — pawn g3→f4, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf4+ — queen f1→f4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh5 (king h4→h5).
  3. Best move: Qh6# — queen f4→h6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7k/ppp2Qpp/8/1P3p2/5r1K/6PP/PB6/5q2 w - - 0 34

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