Chess Puzzle #2gjik — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; queen e4; rooks d1/h2; bishop b2; knight f3; pawns b3/c2/e5/g5/h4. Black: king g8; queen a2; rooks c8/f8; bishop e7; knight b4; pawns a4/b5/d6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: axb3 — pawn a4→b3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxb4 — queen e4→b4, captures knight. Opponent replies dxe5 (pawn d6→e5, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Qxe7 — queen b4→e7, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, hanging piece, middlegame, short. The key move Qxb4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 2r2rk1/4b1pp/3p4/1p2P1P1/pn2Q2P/1P3N2/qBP4R/2KR4 b - - 0 23

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