Chess Puzzle #HKLY8 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1410 · Intermediate · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f5; rook a1; bishop c4; knight f4; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen d6; rooks a8/f8; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/c7/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rae8 — rook a8→e8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng6+ — knight f4→g6, gives check. Opponent replies hxg6 (pawn h7→g6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh3# — queen f5→h3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/1pp3pp/p1nq1p2/5Q2/2BP1N2/4P3/PP4PP/R5K1 b - - 0 21

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