Chess Puzzle #57xYY — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen e4; rook g4; pawns a2/b2/c3/c5/f3/h2. Black: king h8; queen f7; rook a8; knight e5; pawns a7/c7/f6/g5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxg4 — knight e5→g4, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxa8+ — queen e4→a8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king h8→g7).
3. Best move: fxg4 — pawn f3→g4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, hanging piece, intermezzo, short. The key move Qxa8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r6k/p1p2q2/5p2/2P1n1p1/4Q1R1/2P2P2/PP5P/7K b - - 3 30

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