Chess Puzzle #5wHx5 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1645 · Advanced · clearance, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen e4; rook e7; knight b1; pawns a2/b3/c2/d3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; rooks f6/f8; bishop d5; knight f4; pawns a6/b5/c5/d4/g6/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen e4→e5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nh3+ — knight f4→h3, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rf1# — rook f6→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/4R3/p4rpp/1ppb4/3pQn2/1P1P4/P1P3PP/1N4K1 w - - 4 31

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