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

Rating 1557 · Intermediate · back rank mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g4; rooks e1/e6; knight h3; pawns a2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b5; rooks b1/f8; bishop g7; pawns a7/b7/f6/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf4 — knight h3→f4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf1+ — queen b5→f1, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf1 (rook e1→f1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxf1# — rook b1→f1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short, X-ray attack. The combination ends with Rxf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pp4bp/4Rp2/1q6/6Q1/2P4N/P5PP/1r2R2K w - - 5 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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