Chess Puzzle #aUSo7 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1834 · Advanced · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a4; rooks d1/e1; pawns a2/b2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king d7; queen f3; rooks d8/h8; bishop d6; knight g8; pawns b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc6 — queen f3→c6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4+ — queen a4→g4, gives check. Opponent replies f5 (pawn f7→f5).
  3. Best move: Qxf5# — queen g4→f5, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, short. The combination ends with Qxf5# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 3r2nr/1ppk1ppp/3b4/8/Q7/5qP1/PP3P1P/3RR1K1 b - - 5 20

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