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

Rating 1081 · Beginner · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f2; rooks b7/f1; knight d2; pawns a2/c2/d3/e3/e4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c3; rooks a8/e8; bishop a7; knight g6; pawns a6/c6/d6/e5/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc2 — queen c3→c2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f2→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen f7→g7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/bR4p1/p1pp2np/4p3/4P3/2qPP3/P1PN1QPP/5R1K b - - 0 21

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