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

Rating 1444 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rook f7; bishop a3; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; rooks c7/e8; knight e4; pawns a5/b6/d5/e6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf7 — king g8→f7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen e2→h5, gives check. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h5→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4r1k1/2r2Rpp/1p2p3/p2pP3/3Pn3/B3P3/PP2Q1PP/6K1 b - - 0 21

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