Chess Puzzle #59C50 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1259 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d7; rook e1; knight f4; pawns a2/b2/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen h4; rooks c8/h6; pawns c4/f5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd8 — rook c8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe8 (rook d8→e8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxe8# — queen d7→e8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/3Q2pp/7r/5p2/2pP1N1q/8/PP3PPP/4R1K1 b - - 4 28

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