Chess Puzzle #1aF3v — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; rooks f1/f6; knight h6; pawns a4/b2/b3/d7/f2/h3. Black: king h8; queen f8; rook g7; knight f4; pawns a5/b4/e5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen f8→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rd1 — rook f1→d1. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen e7→d8).
3. Best move: Rc6 — rook f6→c6. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
4. Best move: Rc8 — rook c6→c8.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, pin, quiet move. The key move is Rd1.

Position data

FEN: 5q1k/3P1prp/5R1N/p3p3/Pp3n2/1P5P/1P3P2/5R1K b - - 0 31

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