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

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h3; rook d1; bishop d3; pawns a2/c2/c3/d4/f2/f4/g2/g4. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks a8/e8; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h3→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r2k/pp1nqpp1/2p5/3p4/3P1PP1/2PB3Q/P1P2PP1/2KR4 b - - 1 20

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

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