Chess Puzzle #56Gya — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1038 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen b3; rooks a1/f7; pawns a2/b4/g2/g6/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/c8; knight h6; pawns a7/b7/d6/e7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf7 — knight h6→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen b3→f7, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen f7→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1r3k1/pp2pR1p/1q1p2Pn/8/1P6/1Q6/P5PP/R6K b - - 0 22

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