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

Rating 1569 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g7; rooks d7/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/c3/f4/g2/h2. Black: king h5; queen f5; rooks d8/h8; bishop d6; pawns a7/b7/c7/e6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd7 — rook d8→d7, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh3+ — rook f3→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Qxh3 (queen f5→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qg5# — queen g7→g5, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qg5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r3r/pppR2Qp/3bp3/5q1k/5P2/2P2R2/PPP3PP/6K1 b - - 2 20

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