Chess Puzzle #Fyb8c — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1717 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e2; queen g7; rook a1; bishop b3; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/c2/d3/e4/f3/g3. Black: king c8; queen d7; rooks f8/h2; bishop e3; pawns a5/b5/c6/d6/e5/f6/f7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxe3 — king e2→e3, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa7+ — queen d7→a7, gives check. Opponent replies d4 (pawn d3→d4).
  3. Best move: Qxd4# — queen a7→d4, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxd4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2k2r2/3q1pQ1/2pp1p2/pp2p3/4P3/PBNPbPP1/1PP1K2r/R7 w - - 0 23

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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