Chess Puzzle #I80hW — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f2; queen e7; bishop h4; pawns c3/d4/g4/h3. Black: king g7; queen d1; knights e2/f7; pawns a7/b7/c7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxc3 — knight e2→c3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bf6+ — bishop h4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king g7→g8).
3. Best move: Qe8# — queen e7→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 8/ppp1Qnkp/6p1/8/3P2PB/2P4P/4nK2/3q4 b - - 14 37

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