Chess Puzzle #KE9BC — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen c1; rook a1; bishop c4; knight d2; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/h3. Black: king f8; queen e5; rook e8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/f3/g6/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg1 — king h2→g1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qg5+ — queen e5→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king g1→f1).
  3. Best move: Qg2# — queen g5→g2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qg2# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 4rk2/ppp4p/3p2p1/4q3/2B5/2P2p1P/PP1N1P1K/R1Q5 w - - 0 23

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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