Chess Puzzle #1f9QY — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks a1/f1; bishop e3; knights c3/e2; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f4/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishops b4/c6; knight d5; pawns a6/b7/c7/e4/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: h5 — pawn h7→h5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxd5 — knight c3→d5, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxd2 (bishop b4→d2, captures queen).
3. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight d5→f6, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Bxd2 — bishop e3→d2, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/1pp2ppp/p1b1pq2/3n4/1b1PpP2/2N1B1P1/PPPQN2P/R4RK1 b kq - 5 12

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