Chess Puzzle #7gWm5 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1972 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; rooks a1/d1; bishop d3; knight e5; pawns b2/b5/c4/f4/g2/g3. Black: king c8; rooks e3/h8; bishops f8/g4; knight b4; pawns b7/c7/d6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: dxe5 — pawn d6→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bf5+ — bishop d3→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Bxf5 (bishop g4→f5, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Ra8# — rook a1→a8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Ra8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2k2b1r/1pp2ppp/3p4/1P2N3/1nP2Pb1/3Br1P1/1P4P1/R2R2K1 b - - 2 18

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