Chess Puzzle #D90SB — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1463 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rooks f1/h8; pawns c5/f2/h4. Black: king h5; queen c3; rooks f7/g3; pawns c7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxg3 — pawn f2→g3, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg3+ — queen c3→g3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Rxf1# — rook f7→f1, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Rxf1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 7R/2p2rp1/4Q2p/2P4k/7P/2q3r1/5P2/5RK1 w - - 0 32

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