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

Rating 1642 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d5; rooks h1/h3; bishop e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e4/f2. Black: king g8; queen f3; rooks c5/d8; bishop g7; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/g6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd5 — rook c5→d5, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh8+ — rook h3→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Bxh8 (bishop g7→h8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Rxh8# — rook h1→h8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/pp3pb1/3p2p1/2rQB3/4P3/2P2q1R/PP3P2/2K4R b - - 0 21

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