Chess Puzzle #3SmI9 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rooks e1/f2; knight g6; pawns a2/b3/g4. Black: king g8; queen h4; rooks a8/c8; pawns a7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: hxg6 — pawn h7→g6, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen f4→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
3. Best move: Rh2 — rook f2→h2. Opponent replies Qxh2+ (queen h4→h2, captures rook, gives check).
4. Best move: Kxh2 — king g1→h2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, master, pin. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1r3k1/p4ppp/4p1N1/3p4/5QPq/1P6/P4R2/4R1K1 b - - 0 28

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