Chess Puzzle #7eQez — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1415 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen a3; rooks a1/c1; knight e2; pawns b4/e3/f2/g3/h2. Black: king b7; queen e7; rooks a8/d5; knights d3/f6; pawns a7/b6/e4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb4 — queen e7→b4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa6+ — queen a3→a6, gives check. Opponent replies Kb8 (king b7→b8).
  3. Best move: Rc8# — rook c1→c8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Rc8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r7/pk2qppp/1p3n2/3r4/1P2p3/Q2nP1P1/4NPKP/R1R5 b - - 1 22

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