Chess Puzzle #ItB3l — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1575 · Intermediate · attack on f2/f7, mate, mate in 2, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/h4; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights b8/f6; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf6 — bishop h4→f6, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Bxf2+ — bishop c5→f2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd2 (king e1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qe3# — queen b6→e3, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attack on f2/f7, mate, mate in 2, opening, short. The combination ends with Qe3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: rnb1k2r/pp3pp1/1q2pn1p/2bp4/4P2B/2N2N2/PPP2PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 2 8

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