Chess Puzzle #4UPKr — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen f2; rooks a1/h1; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/e4/h3. Black: king e8; queen d3; rooks a8/h8; pawns a7/b7/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight c4→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qxe4+ — queen d3→e4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qe2 (queen f2→e2).
3. Best move: Qxh1+ — queen e4→h1, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/ppp2ppp/8/4p3/2N1P3/3q3P/PP3Q2/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 17

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