Chess Puzzle #0abe6 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king a1; queen a6; rooks f1/h1; pawns a3/b2/d5/h7. Black: king h8; queen f5; rooks c2/c8; pawns b3/f6/f7/g6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf4 — queen f5→f4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxc8+ — queen a6→c8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Rxc8 (rook c2→c8, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rxf4 — rook f1→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Qxc8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r4k/5p1P/Q4pp1/3P1q2/8/Pp6/1Pr5/K4R1R b - - 0 32

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