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

Rating 1409 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen c6; rooks a1/h1; bishop c1; knights e2/g5; pawns a2/b2/d4/f3/g3/h2. Black: king d8; queen h5; rooks a8/f8; bishop b4; knight e4; pawns a6/b6/c7/d5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe4 — knight g5→e4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf3+ — queen h5→f3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king f2→g1).
  3. Best move: Qf1# — queen f3→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2k1r2/2p3pp/ppQ5/3p2Nq/1b1Pn3/5PP1/PP2NK1P/R1B4R w - - 1 20

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.