Chess Puzzle #L9VYW — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

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

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks b7/f1; pawns a4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c2; rooks d4/d8; pawns a6/c5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd1 — rook d4→d1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f3→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7# — queen f7→g7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxg7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/1R3ppp/p7/2p5/P2r4/5QP1/2q2P1P/5RK1 b - - 0 28

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