Chess Puzzle #96jqa — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1421 · Intermediate · clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king e2; queen g1; rooks a1/g7; bishop c1; knight d6; pawns a2/b2/h6. Black: king h8; queen c6; rooks a8/f8; bishops f5/h4; pawns a7/b7/c2/e5/f7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd6 — queen c6→d6, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh7+ — rook g7→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Bxh7 (bishop f5→h7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g1→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pp3pR1/2qN3P/4pb2/7b/8/PPp1K3/R1B3Q1 b - - 1 25

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.