Chess Puzzle #9O4ga — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1476 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen a6; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/f4; knights c3/g1; pawns b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rook h8; bishop a5; knights d4/g8; pawns b5/c4/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 7 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxa5 — rook a1→a5, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc2+ — knight d4→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king e1→e2).
  3. Best move: Qd3# — queen d8→d3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, opening, short. The combination ends with Qd3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3qk1nr/5ppp/Q7/bp6/2pn1B2/2N5/1P3PPP/R3KBNR w KQk - 0 13

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