Chess Puzzle #CS3qC — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1445 · Intermediate · hanging piece, kingside attack, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move.

Position

White: king e5; queen c6; rooks f1/h1; bishops e3/g2; knights c3/g1; pawns a2/b2/c4/g3. Black: king h8; queen g6; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; pawns a7/b7/d7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 8 points of material. White to move.

Solution (1 move)

  1. Opponent setup: dxc6 — pawn d7→c6, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf8# — rook f1→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

hanging piece, kingside attack, mate, mate in 1, middlegame, one move. The combination ends with Rxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2r1k/pp1p2pp/2Q3q1/4K3/2P5/2N1B1P1/PP4B1/5RNR b - - 0 16

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