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

Rating 1404 · Intermediate · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g8; rooks e1/g1; pawns a2/b4/c6/f2/g2/h3. Black: king c7; queen f5; rook h7; bishop e5; pawns a7/b7/f6. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: cxb7 — pawn c6→b7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh3+ — rook h7→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh3# — queen f5→h3, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxh3# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6Q1/ppk4r/2P2p2/4bq2/1P6/7P/P4PP1/4R1RK w - - 1 34

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