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

Rating 1440 · Intermediate · attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks d1/d8; knight e2; pawns f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen a2; rooks c2/f8; pawns a7/e7/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxe2 — rook c2→e2, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf8+ — rook d8→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen d4→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3R1rk1/p3pp1p/6p1/8/3Q4/8/q1r1NPPP/3R2K1 b - - 1 21

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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