Chess Puzzle #4dMEI — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c2; queen e4; rooks f1/h1; bishop b2; knight d1; pawns a3/b3/d2/e3/f4. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks d8/g6; bishop g7; knights a5/d5; pawns a6/b5/c5/e6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxe3+ — knight d5→e3, captures pawn, gives check. Now White to move.
2. Best move: dxe3 — pawn d2→e3, captures knight. Opponent replies Qf5 (queen f6→f5).
3. Best move: Qxf5 — queen e4→f5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, hanging piece, middlegame, short. The key move dxe3 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/6b1/p3pqr1/nppn4/4QP2/PP2P3/1BKP4/3N1R1R b - - 1 28

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