Chess Puzzle #9CgrW — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1490 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c2; rooks g3/g6; pawns a2/b3/d4/e3/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen d7; rooks e7/g8; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/f7/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen c2→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxg8# — queen g6→g8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxg8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6r1/1p1qrpk1/p1p3R1/3pP2p/3P4/1P2P1RP/P1Q3P1/7K b - - 0 28

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.