Chess Puzzle #WcBC7 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1923 · Advanced · double check, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king d2; queen c2; rooks a1/h1; bishops g4/g5; knight e4; pawns a2/c4/d5/h4. Black: king h7; queen f5; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/g7; knight b2; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/f3. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg4 — queen f5→g4, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king h7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qh7# — queen c2→h7, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

double check, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qh7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b2r2/ppp3bk/3p4/3P1qB1/2P1N1BP/5p2/PnQK4/R6R b - - 3 21

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.