Chess Puzzle #8Ah9l — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1952 · Advanced · deflection, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; rooks d2/f3; bishops b3/g3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen h6; rook e8; bishop d3; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rdxd3 — rook d2→d3, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Re1+ — rook e8→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Bxe1 (bishop g3→e1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh2# — queen h6→h2, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4r1k1/ppp2ppp/7q/8/6n1/1BNb1RB1/PP1R2PP/7K w - - 7 24

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