Chess Puzzle #9B2gE — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1435 · Intermediate · attack on f2/f7, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b2/f1; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b3/c2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/d7; knights c6/e7; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Na4 — knight c3→a4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Bxf2+ — bishop c5→f2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd2 (king e1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qe3# — queen b6→e3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attack on f2/f7, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qe3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp1bnppp/1qn1p3/2bpP3/8/1PN2N2/PBP2PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 2 9

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.