Chess Puzzle #2w7tQ — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen e6; rook e8; knight d4; pawns a3/c2/f3/g2. Black: king g8; queen c5; rook f8; knight h6; pawns a6/b5/d5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nf7 — knight h6→f7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nc6 — knight d4→c6. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
3. Best move: Ne5 — knight c6→e5.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, quiet move, short. The key move is Nc6.

Position data

FEN: 4Rrk1/6pp/p3Q2n/1pqp4/3N4/P4P2/2P3P1/7K b - - 5 34

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