Chess Puzzle #5AO56 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1082 · Beginner · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f5; rooks b7/f1; pawns a2/c4/d5/f4/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/d4; knight e5; pawns a6/c5/d6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc4 — knight e5→c4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen f7→g7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2q2k1/1R4p1/p2p3p/2pPnQ2/2Pr1P1P/6P1/P7/5RK1 b - - 0 22

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