Chess Puzzle #01TMP — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; queen c2; rooks e4/h1; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g2/g3. Black: king e8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop e6; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: O-O — king e8→g8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: d5 — pawn d4→d5. Opponent replies Nb4 (knight c6→b4).
3. Best move: Rxb4 — rook e4→b4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move is d5.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pp2qpp1/2n1b2p/8/3PR3/2P2NP1/PPQ2PP1/2K4R b kq - 0 16

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