Chess Puzzle #Az9D6 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1672 · Advanced · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; bishops a3/d3; knight e4; pawns a2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e6; rook a8; bishops c8/h4; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 8 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: d5 — pawn d7→d5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h5→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b3k1/pppp1ppp/2n1q3/7Q/4N2b/B1PB4/P5PP/7K b - - 7 24

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