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

Rating 1579 · Intermediate · endgame, kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c1; rooks e1/f1; pawns a3/b4/c2/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen h5; rook d2; knight f4; pawns a7/b7/d4/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h4 — pawn h3→h4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf3+ — queen h5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king h1→g1).
  3. Best move: Qg2# — queen f3→g2, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pp3pp1/7p/7q/1P1p1n2/P5PP/2Pr1P2/2Q1RR1K w - - 1 31

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