Chess Puzzle #7LtjT — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1652 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king a4; queen e3; rooks a1/g1; knight d4; pawns b4/c3. Black: king g8; queen b6; rook b5; bishop f8; pawns d5/e4/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf5 — knight d4→f5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxb4+ — rook b5→b4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies cxb4 (pawn c3→b4, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxb4# — queen b6→b4, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxb4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5bk1/5pp1/1q5p/1r1p4/KP1Np3/2P1Q3/8/R5R1 w - - 0 40

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