Medium Chess Puzzle # 0123

Solve this medium chess puzzle and improve your chess games through improvement of your chess strategies and chess tactics.

Puzzle No : 0123

Difficulty level : medium

Description : Mate in 2 moves

Next Move : White

Player level : Intermediate

Medium chess puzzle 0123

At this puzzle, next move is by White. The objective of the puzzle is to mate in 2 moves.

See the interactive solution at the puzzle page

This is the initial board position of medium chess puzzle 0123.

Move by white

your rook from the battery formation sacrifices itself to attract the opponent’s queen which is guarding eighth rank. it now forks the opponent’s king and queen.

Move by black

this is a zugzwang move as the opponent’s queen is forced to respond.

Move by white

your rook captures opponent’s hanging queen and checkmate. this is similar to back-rank mate since the opponent’s king is blocked by friendly pawns. this is how you can mate in 2 moves.

Ganesh

Based on the objective of the puzzle, you have to make the right moves. Following are the right moves

Rxf8+ - Your rook from the battery formation sacrifices itself to attract the opponent’s queen which is guarding eighth rank. It now forks the opponent’s king and queen.
Qxf8 - This is a zugzwang move as the opponent’s queen is forced to respond.
Rxf8# - Your rook captures opponent’s hanging queen and checkmate. This is similar to back-rank mate since the opponent’s king is blocked by friendly pawns. This is how you can mate in 2 moves.
For right move - You know how to use the battery of rooks to end the game. Keep winning
For wrong move - You failed to have a checkmate. Try again with the sacrifice of the rook.