Chess Puzzle #5IUp5 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen e1; knight d2; pawns a5/b6/c3/f7/g3. Black: king c8; queen g4; rook h8; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/h3. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf5 — queen g4→f5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe8 (rook h8→e8, captures queen).
3. Best move: fxe8=Q# — pawn f7→e8, captures rook, promotes to queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, endgame, mate, mate in 2, promotion, short. The combination ends with fxe8=Q# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2k4r/1p3P2/pPp5/P2p4/6q1/2P3Pp/3N3K/4Q3 b - - 0 33

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