Chess Puzzle #5Ef0m — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen d3; rook d1; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/c2/c7/e4/f3/h2. Black: king c8; queen g2; rook h8; bishop b5; pawns a6/b7/c5/f7/g6/g7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxc7 — king c8→c7, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd6+ — queen d3→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Kc8 (king c7→c8).
  3. Best move: Nb6# — knight c4→b6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Nb6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2k4r/1pP2pp1/p5p1/1bp5/2N1P3/3Q1P2/PPP3qP/1K1R4 b - - 1 21

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.