Chess Puzzle #XWO0r — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1911 · Advanced · back rank mate, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e7; rooks d1/h1; bishop f4; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b5; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knight g8; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe7 — knight g8→e7, captures queen. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc7+ — knight d5→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
  3. Best move: Rd8# — rook d1→d8, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

back rank mate, fork, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Rd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k1nr/pp2Qppp/2p5/1q1N4/5B2/8/PPP2PPP/2KR3R b kq - 0 13

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.