Chess Puzzle #La3C4 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1448 · Intermediate · deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g5; rook f1; knight e7; pawns f2/g2/h5. Black: king g7; queen c2; rook f8; bishop d4; pawns b7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bf6 — bishop d4→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: h6+ — pawn h5→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxf6# — queen g5→f6, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/1p2Npkp/6p1/6QP/3b4/8/2q2PP1/5RK1 b - - 0 29

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