Chess Puzzle #B3sCs — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1427 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, pin.

Position

White: king g1; queen a3; rooks c1/d1; bishops a4/d6; knight d4; pawns a2/b2/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen e6; rooks c8/h8; bishop d7; knights c6/e4; pawns a6/b7/d5/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd4 — knight c6→d4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxc8# — rook c1→c8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move, pin. The combination ends with Rxc8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r1k2r/1p1b1pp1/p1nBq2p/3p4/B2Nn3/Q3P3/PP3PPP/2RR2K1 b k - 9 17

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