Chess Puzzle #0vC6P — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks c7/e1; bishop f7; knight d4; pawns a2/f4/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen a3; rooks a8/h8; bishop d7; knights f6/g6; pawns a7/b7/d6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxf7 — king f8→f7, captures bishop. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qc4+ — queen e2→c4, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king f7→f8).
3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight d4→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Bxe6 (bishop d7→e6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qxe6 — queen c4→e6, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qc5+ (queen a3→c5, gives check).
5. Best move: Rxc5 — rook c7→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, very long. The key move is Qc4+.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/ppRb1Bpp/3p1nn1/8/3N1P2/q7/P3Q1PP/4R1K1 b - - 0 18

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