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

Rating 1235 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen a8; rooks a1/d1; bishop f4; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king c8; queen d7; rooks d8/h8; bishop e7; knight b8; pawns b6/b7/c7/e4/f5/g7/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g5 — pawn g7→g5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxb6+ — knight c4→b6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies cxb6 (pawn c7→b6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxb8# — queen a8→b8, captures knight, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The combination ends with Qxb8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: Qnkr3r/1ppqb1p1/1p6/5p1p/2NPpB2/2P3P1/PP3PKP/R2R4 b - - 5 20

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