Chess Puzzle #72ijN — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1529 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h4; rooks f7/h1; knight c6; pawns d4/g3. Black: king g7; queen a2; rooks f2/f8; knight a3; pawns a7/b4/d5/f4/g6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf7 — king g7→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe7+ — queen h4→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f7→g8).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen e7→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/p4Rk1/2N3p1/3p4/1p1P1p1Q/n5P1/q4r2/6KR b - - 0 35

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