Chess Puzzle #0VFAc — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen a4; rook f1; bishop c1; knight f3; pawns c5/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c3; rook f8; bishop h5; knight f5; pawns c6/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen c3→c5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ba3 — bishop c1→a3. Opponent replies Qe3 (queen c5→e3).
3. Best move: Bxf8 — bishop a3→f8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short, skewer. The key move is Ba3.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/5ppp/2p1p3/2PpPn1b/Q4P2/2q2N2/6PP/2B2R1K b - - 1 22

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