Chess Puzzle #9piTE — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king d2; queen h5; rooks g3/g6; bishop c4; knight b1; pawns c2/f2/f3/h2. Black: king h8; queen b2; rooks a8/f8; pawns a3/b4/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxh7+ — queen h5→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh7 (king h8→h7, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rh3# — rook g3→h3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/5ppp/6R1/7Q/1pB5/p4PR1/1qPK1P1P/1N6 b - - 1 27

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.