Chess Puzzle #27fvo — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen e5; rooks c1/f4; knight e6; pawns a2/c6/e2/f2/h5. Black: king a8; queen d7; rooks c8/e8; knight f5; pawns a7/b7/d5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxe6 — queen d7→e6, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: cxb7+ — pawn c6→b7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxb7 (king a8→b7, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Rb4+ — rook f4→b4, gives check. Opponent replies Ka6 (king b7→a6).
4. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen e5→e6, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe6 (rook e8→e6, captures queen).
5. Best move: Rxc8 — rook c1→c8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, advantage, attraction, middlegame, queenside attack, very long. The key move cxb7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: k1r1r3/pp1q3p/2P1N1p1/3pQn1P/5R2/8/P3PP2/2R1K3 b - - 0 26

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