Chess Puzzle #BT2ox — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1462 · Intermediate · fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame.

Position

White: king h2; queen d3; rooks a1/g1; knights a5/f3; pawns a3/b4/c2/e4/f2/g2. Black: king c8; queen d7; rooks d8/g8; bishops a7/g4; pawns c6/c7/d6/e5/f4/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kb8 — king c8→b8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa6 — queen d3→a6. Opponent replies Qc8 (queen d7→c8).
  3. Best move: Nxc6+ — knight a5→c6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ka8 (king b8→a8).
  4. Best move: Qxa7# — queen a6→a7, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, long, mate, mate in 3, middlegame. The combination ends with Qxa7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2kr2r1/b1pq4/2pp3p/N3p3/1P2Ppb1/P2Q1N2/2P2PPK/R5R1 b - - 5 23

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