Puzzle #60: Mate in 2: back-rank mate
Rating ≈ 1300 · 2 moves to find
White to move and mate in 2.
Show a hint
The enemy king is short of air on its back rank.
Show the solution
- 27. Qxe8+ — the queen takes the rook on e8 with check and at the same time attacks the rook on a8.
- 27… Rxe8 is the only legal move.
- 28. Rxe8# — the rook takes the rook on e8 — checkmate.
Why it works. The defending king is trapped on its own back rank by its pawns — the classic back-rank weakness.
Themes: Mate in 2, Fork, Decoy, Back-rank mate
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This position comes from a training game and was checked with a chess engine: every move you need to find is the only one that works.