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

Rating 1578 · Intermediate · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, opening, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen f3; rooks a1/e1; bishops b3/c1; knight b1; pawns a4/c3/d4/f2/g2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/h2; knight g4; pawns a6/c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh4 — queen d8→h4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f3→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Re8# — rook e1→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, opening, pin, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Re8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rk1/2p2ppp/p7/8/P2P2n1/1BP2Q2/5PPb/RNB1R2K b - - 1 17

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.