Chess Puzzle #9Vb1D — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1446 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; rooks e1/f7; bishop d4; pawns a4/b3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c2; rook f8; bishop b7; pawns a7/b6/c7/d6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxf7 — rook f8→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rf8 (rook f7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen g5→g7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pbp2Rpp/1p1p4/6Q1/P2B4/1P6/2q2PPP/4R1K1 b - - 0 24

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