The Back Rank Trap: a checkmate puzzle

White to move. Find the one move that wins. About 700 ELO.

Black's king is boxed in by its own pawns. Mate in one.

Hint

Which rank can't the king escape from?

What is a checkmate?

A move that attacks the king with no way out: the game ends on the spot.

How to spot it

Look at every check first. Count the king's escape squares and ask which check covers all of them.

Tip

A king behind three unmoved pawns has no air. Give yours a 'luft' square (h3 or g3) before it's too late.

Solve it on the board above, or take a hint. Every ChessLvl puzzle is checked by a chess engine to have exactly one best move.