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

Rating 1409 · Intermediate · fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h6; rook a1; bishops d3/e1; knight h5; pawns a2/b2/c3/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/e8; bishops a6/c5; pawns a5/c6/d5/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf8 — queen e7→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight h5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxh7# — queen h6→h7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/4qp1p/b1p1p1pQ/p1bpP2N/5P2/2PB4/PP4PP/R3B2K b - - 5 21

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