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

Rating 1473 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen d1; rook a1; bishop e3; knight h5; pawns a2/b3/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c3; rooks a8/f8; knight b6; pawns a7/c7/d5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe3 — queen c3→e3, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4+ — queen d1→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qg7# — queen g4→g7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p1p2p1p/1n6/3p3N/5P2/1Pq1B3/P5PP/R2Q1K2 b - - 0 20

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