Chess Puzzle #56rrf — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1227 · Intermediate · endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c7; rooks e2/f1; pawns a3/b2/c2/e4/f3/g2. Black: king h7; queen g3; rooks g6/h3; pawns b6/b7/e5/f4/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh3 — pawn g2→h3, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen g3→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rh2 (rook e2→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxf1# — queen h3→f1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/1pQ3pk/1p4rp/4p3/4Pp2/P4Pqr/1PP1R1P1/5R1K w - - 0 27

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