Chess Puzzle #22Idf — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a2/e1; bishop c1; knight g6; pawns a3/b4/d4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen d5; rooks a8/f8; bishops b6/b7; pawns a6/b5/c7/f5/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa2 — queen d5→a2, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bxh6 — bishop c1→h6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Bxf3 (bishop b7→f3, captures pawn).
3. Best move: gxf3 — pawn g2→f3, captures bishop. Opponent replies gxh6 (pawn g7→h6, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Nxf8+ — knight g6→f8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/1bp3pk/pb4Np/1p1q1p1Q/1P1P4/P4P1P/R5P1/2B1R1K1 b - - 0 22

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