Chess Puzzle #8nZDo — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1556 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rook f8; bishop b2; pawns a2/b3/e4/e5/e6/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; bishops b7/e7; knight e8; pawns a7/b5/c5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf8 — bishop e7→f8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen h5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen f7→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3qnRk1/pb2b1pp/4P3/1pp1P2Q/4P3/1P6/PB4PP/6K1 b - - 1 26

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