Chess Puzzle #3EjSf — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen b3; rook d6; knight e5; pawns a4/d5/e4/g3/h3. Black: king h7; queen c5; rook f2; bishop c1; pawns a5/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nd3 — knight e5→d3. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qe3 — queen c5→e3. Opponent replies Nxf2 (knight d3→f2, captures rook).
3. Best move: Qxb3 — queen e3→b3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Qe3.

Position data

FEN: 8/5ppk/3R3p/p1qPN3/P3P3/1Q4PP/5r2/2b3K1 w - - 2 40

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