Chess Puzzle #OTow9 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2034 · Expert · kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen c2; rooks h1/h2; bishop d3; pawns a2/b2/d5/e3/f2. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a8/f8; bishop e6; knight g6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxd5 — bishop e6→d5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh8+ — rook h2→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Nxh8 (knight g6→h8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Bh7# — bishop d3→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

kingside attack, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Bh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppp2pp1/4bqn1/3P4/8/3BP3/PPQ2P1R/2K4R b - - 0 22

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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