Chess Puzzle #W8wNx — Expert, White to move, opening

Rating 2152 · Expert · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rooks d1/e1; bishops c4/g5; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/d4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen d8; rooks a8/e8; bishops d6/g6; knights d7/e7; pawns a7/b7/c6/f6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nb6 — knight d7→b6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxf6+ — queen e6→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bh6# — bishop g5→h6, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Bh6# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r2qrk2/pp1nn1pp/2pbQpb1/6B1/2BP4/2N2N1P/PP3PP1/3RR1K1 b - - 1 16

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