Chess Puzzle #5F6Ib — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1267 · Intermediate · attack on f2/f7, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h5; rook d1; bishop b4; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/e5/f4. Black: king e8; queen e7; rook a8; bishops c8/g7; knight d7; pawns a6/b7/d5/f5/f7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb4 — queen e7→b4, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen h5→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
  3. Best move: Ne6# — knight g5→e6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attack on f2/f7, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Ne6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k3/1p1nqpb1/p7/3pPpNQ/1B3P2/8/PPP5/2KR4 b q - 1 20

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.