Chess Puzzle #80BjJ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1450 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king b3; rooks d1/d5; bishop g2; knight h3; pawns a2/f3/g3/h5. Black: king e7; rooks c2/c8; pawns a5/b5/d6/e5/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxb5 — rook d5→b5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: R8c3+ — rook c8→c3, gives check. Opponent replies Ka4 (king b3→a4).
  3. Best move: Rxa2# — rook c2→a2, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rxa2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r5/4kpp1/3p3p/pp1Rp2P/8/1K3PPN/P1r3B1/3R4 w - - 0 28

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.