Chess Puzzle #57Tjn — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1008 · Beginner · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d4; rook g1; pawns a3/b5/e4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen c8; rook h5; pawns e5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd5 — queen d4→d5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh3+ — rook h5→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh3# — queen c8→h3, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2q5/5pkp/6p1/1P2p2r/3QP3/P4P1P/6P1/6RK w - - 0 39

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