Chess Puzzle #EZte8 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1833 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d2; rooks d1/h1; bishop e2; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/c4/f2/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks d8/f8; bishops c5/f5; knight g6; pawns a7/b7/f6/f7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh6 — queen d2→h6. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen a5→c3, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies bxc3 (pawn b2→c3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Ba3# — bishop c5→a3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Ba3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1rk1/pp3p1p/5pn1/q1b2b2/2P3P1/2N2N1P/PP1QBP2/2KR3R w - - 1 18

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