Chess Puzzle #H7hrS — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1677 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen a4; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/e2; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c4/e4/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen f5; rooks a8/f8; bishops e6/g7; knight f3; pawns a7/c6/d6/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kf1 — king e1→f1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen f5→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxh3 (rook h1→h3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxh3# — bishop e6→h3, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Bxh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p4pbp/2ppb1p1/5q2/Q1P1P3/2N2nPP/PP2BP2/R1B1K2R w KQ - 1 16

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