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

Rating 1522 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/g5; knights c7/e6; pawns a2/e2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen b2; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights b8/g8; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king f8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qe8# — queen d8→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, opening, short. The combination ends with Qe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rnb2knr/ppN2ppp/4N3/2b3B1/8/8/Pq2PPPP/R2QKB1R b KQ - 3 10

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