Chess Puzzle #scq2t — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1940 · Advanced · attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a6; rook f1; knight g3; pawns b2/b3/c4/d5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen h4; rook f4; bishop d4; pawns c5/d6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh1 — king g1→h1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh2+ — queen h4→h2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxh2 (king h1→h2, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rh4# — rook f4→h4, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

attraction, endgame, mate, mate in 2, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rh4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/6pp/Q2p4/2pP4/2Pb1r1q/1P4N1/1P4PP/5RK1 w - - 1 25

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.