Chess Puzzle #99L5N — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen e5; rook d1; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f5. Black: king c8; queen g5; rook h3; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g3/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g2 — pawn g3→g2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e5→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen g5→d8).
  3. Best move: Rxd8# — rook d1→d8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2k5/ppp2pp1/8/4QPq1/4P3/6pr/PPP5/1K1R4 b - - 1 24

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