Chess Puzzle #A6zue — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1518 · Intermediate · clearance, discovered attack, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame.

Position

White: king e1; queen d3; rooks a1/h1; bishop h7; knights c3/f3; pawns a4/b2/d4/e3/f2. Black: king h8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops b7/g5; knight a5; pawns a7/b6/c7/e6/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf3 — bishop b7→f3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bg8+ — bishop h7→g8, gives check. Opponent replies Bxh1 (bishop f3→h1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen d3→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

clearance, discovered attack, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2q1r1k/pbp2ppB/1p2p3/n5b1/P2P4/2NQPN2/1P3P2/R3K2R b KQ - 3 16

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