Chess Puzzle #Au0MS — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; bishop e8; pawns b6/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; bishop c1; pawns c2/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb6 — queen c7→b6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f3→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qf8# — queen f7→f8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4B1k1/2q2p1p/1P4p1/8/8/5Q1P/2p2PP1/2b3K1 b - - 0 31

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