Chess Puzzle #5IcBC — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/h4; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/c3/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b4; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/d4/e4/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

1. Opponent setup: dxc3 — pawn d4→c3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qd8# — queen d1→d8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, one move, opening. The combination ends with Qd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rnb1kb1r/pp3ppp/4p3/8/1qNpp2B/2P1P3/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 0 10

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