Chess Puzzle #39ZeS — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d5; rook d1; knight a4; pawns a2/b3/e3/e4/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen g4; rook f8; bishop c7; pawns a7/e5/h4. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nc5 — knight a4→c5. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qe2 — queen g4→e2. Opponent replies Qd3 (queen d5→d3).
3. Best move: Qf2+ — queen e2→f2, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Qe2.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/p1b5/8/3Qp3/N3P1qp/1P2P3/P5PP/3R2K1 w - - 3 29

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