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

Rating 1414 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; rook d7; pawns a2/b3/e5/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen f4; rook a8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/h4. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king g7→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh7+ — queen h5→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qh8# — queen h7→h8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r7/pp1R2k1/2n5/4P2Q/5q1p/1P5P/P5P1/7K b - - 1 36

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