Chess Puzzle #9Ds61 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1569 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f7; rook f4; knight e7; pawns a3/b3/e4/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen c2; rooks a8/b8; pawns a6/c5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb3 — queen c2→b3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng6+ — knight e7→g6, gives check. Opponent replies hxg6 (pawn h7→g6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rh4# — rook f4→h4, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rh4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rr5k/4NQpp/p7/2p5/4PR2/PP5P/2q3P1/6K1 b - - 1 27

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