Chess Puzzle #4muGu — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king a2; queen h3; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/e3/g6/h5. Black: king f8; queen f2; knight c5; pawns a4/e4/e6/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ke8 — king f8→e8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe4 — knight c3→e4, captures pawn. Opponent replies Nxe4 (knight c5→e4, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen h3→e6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, short. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/6p1/4p1Pp/2n4P/p3p3/P1N1P2Q/KP3q2/8 b - - 5 32

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