Chess Puzzle #5QmzX — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1415 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b2/f1; knights d2/g1; pawns a3/b5/c4/d3/e2/f4/g2/h3. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c7/c8; knights e4/e5; pawns a4/b7/c5/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: dxe4 — pawn d3→e4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen d8→h4, gives check. Opponent replies g3 (pawn g2→g3).
  3. Best move: Qxg3# — queen h4→g3, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxg3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/1pb2ppp/4p3/1Pppn3/p1P1nP2/P2P3P/1B1NP1P1/R2QKBNR w KQkq - 1 12

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