Chess Puzzle #bpen9 — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2277 · Expert · attraction, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king b1; queen g3; rooks b2/d2; bishop d5; knight f4; pawns d3/g6/h4. Black: king h8; queen a3; rook c8; bishops f5/f6; pawns a6/b3/g7/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh7 — pawn g6→h7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa1+ — queen a3→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Kxa1 (king b1→a1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rc1# — rook c8→c1, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rc1# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 2r4k/6pp/p4bP1/3B1b2/5N1P/qp1P2Q1/1R1R4/1K6 w - - 2 32

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