Chess Puzzle #Mg4EL — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1457 · Intermediate · endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; rook c1; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king d8; queen a5; rooks d7/h8; bishop d6; pawns a7/b7/d5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be7 — bishop d6→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh8+ — queen f6→h8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop e7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxf8# — queen h8→f8, captures bishop, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, hanging piece, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3k3r/pp1r3p/3b1Qp1/q2p4/3P4/4P3/PP3PPP/2R3K1 b - - 5 23

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