Chess Puzzle #9hA4a — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1488 · Intermediate · clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen g5; rook g2; knights e2/h6; pawns a4/h5. Black: king h8; queen f8; rook b3; knights c7/d5; pawns a6/c4/d6/e5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf6 — knight d5→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf6+ — queen g5→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen f8→f6, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rg8# — rook g2→g8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rg8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5q1k/2n4p/p2p3N/3np1QP/P1p5/1r6/4N1RK/8 b - - 1 41

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