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

Rating 1882 · Advanced · endgame, mate, mate in 2, short.

Position

White: king h3; queen c1; knight g4; pawns b4/f3/g2/h6. Black: king g8; queen d4; rook f4; pawns b5/e6/f7/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg4 — rook f4→g4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc8+ — queen c1→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen d4→d8).
  3. Best move: Qxd8# — queen c8→d8, captures queen, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

endgame, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxd8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/5p1p/4p2P/1p4p1/1P1q1rN1/5P1K/6P1/2Q5 b - - 1 45

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