Chess Puzzle #Md8DR — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1897 · Advanced · endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rooks d2/e1; knight e5; pawns a2/b3/f4/g3/h2. Black: king f8; queen b7; rook d8; bishop f6; pawns a7/b6/c5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd2 — rook d8→d2, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ng6+ — knight e5→g6, gives check. Opponent replies hxg6 (pawn h7→g6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qe8# — queen e6→e8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qe8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r1k2/pq4pp/1p2Qb2/2p1N3/5P2/1P4P1/P2R3P/4R1K1 b - - 0 26

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