Chess Puzzle #Ex4B8 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1633 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks a1/f1; knight a3; pawns a2/c2/e5/e6/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; knights f3/f5; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: N3h4 — knight f3→h4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd7+ — queen d3→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf7# — queen d7→f7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp3ppp/1q2P3/4Pn2/5P2/N2Q1n2/P1P3PP/R4R1K b kq - 1 15

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