Chess Puzzle #7L8Qb — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1424 · Intermediate · dovetail mate, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks b3/f3; pawns a5/b4/d4/f4/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen b5; rooks a8/e8; knight c3; pawns a6/c6/d5/f6/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rfxc3 — rook f3→c3, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Re1+ — rook e8→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  3. Best move: Qf1# — queen b5→f1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

dovetail mate, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/6p1/p1p2p2/Pq1p3Q/1P1P1P2/1Rn2RP1/7P/6K1 w - - 0 30

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