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

Position

White: king a1; queen a8; rook d1; knight d6; pawns a2/d5/g2/h2. Black: king e7; queen b4; rook e5; bishop a6; knight e1; pawns a5/b5/c7/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxd6 — king e7→d6, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen a8→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king d6→c5).
3. Best move: Qxc7# — queen d8→c7, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

deflection, endgame, epaulette mate, mate, mate in 2, short. The combination ends with Qxc7# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: Q7/2p1kp2/b2N2p1/pp1Pr3/1q6/8/P5PP/K2Rn3 b - - 2 30

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