Chess Puzzle #83884 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1519 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen f6; rook d4; pawns c5/g3/h6. Black: king f8; queen c3; rooks a8/e7; pawns a7/b4/f5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf7 — rook e7→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd8+ — rook d4→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxd8 (rook a8→d8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxd8# — queen f6→d8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4k2/p3r2p/5QpP/2P2p2/1p1R4/2q3P1/6K1/8 b - - 4 39

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