Chess Puzzle #5U3cR — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen g1; rook a1; bishops c1/h5; knight e2; pawns a4/d3/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen c6; rook f8; bishop b7; knight e7; pawns a6/c3/c5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxc3 — knight e2→c3, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qxg2+ — queen c6→g2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxg2 (queen g1→g2, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rf1# — rook f8→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/1b2n1pp/p1q5/2p4B/P7/2pP4/4N1PP/R1B3QK w - - 0 25

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