Chess Puzzle #GEtB3 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1539 · Intermediate · endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rook e6; bishops b3/d2; pawns a2/c3/d4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen b2; rook a8; bishop d6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f6/f7/g6/g7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen c4→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qh3# — queen e6→h3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, fork, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/pp3pp1/2pbRpp1/8/2QP4/1BP3P1/Pq1B1P1P/6K1 b - - 0 20

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