Chess Puzzle #6ab7S — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1570 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c7; rook f1; bishop g2; knights d4/d6; pawns a2/b3/d2/e2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king a8; queen e8; rooks b8/f8; bishop e6; knights a1/d7; pawns a6/b7/e5/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd8 — queen e8→d8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxb7+ — bishop g2→b7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxb7 (rook b8→b7, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxb7# — queen c7→b7, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The combination ends with Qxb7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: kr2qr2/1pQn1pp1/p2Nb2p/4p3/3N4/1P4P1/P2PPPBP/n4RK1 b - - 4 22

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