Chess Puzzle #5CZ6m — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1154 · Beginner · endgame, master, mate, mate in 2, pin, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen h5; knight f3; pawns a3/b2/c3/f2/g3. Black: king h7; queen e4; bishop b6; pawns a4/b7/e6/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc2 — queen e4→c2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng5+ — knight f3→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qe8# — queen h5→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, master, mate, mate in 2, pin, short. The combination ends with Qe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/1p4pk/1b2p2p/7Q/p3q3/P1P2NP1/1P3PK1/8 b - - 1 31

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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