Chess Puzzle #xL6RE — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2387 · Expert · mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen a8; rooks b1/f1; knights a4/a5; pawns a2/c2/d3/f3/g3/h2. Black: king c8; queen b4; rooks d8/h8; bishop e6; knight b8; pawns a6/b7/c6/c7/e4/e5/g7/h3. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd2 — queen b4→d2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nb6+ — knight a4→b6, gives check. Opponent replies cxb6 (pawn c7→b6, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxb7# — queen a8→b7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

mate, mate in 2, middlegame, queenside attack, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Qxb7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: Qnkr3r/1pp3p1/p1p1b3/N3p3/Nq2p3/3P1PPp/P1P4P/1R3R1K b - - 1 26

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