Chess Puzzle #5FzBC — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks e3/f1; knight e4; pawns c4/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a4/e8; knight d6; pawns b6/c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxc4 — knight d6→c4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rxe8+ — rook e3→e8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe8 (queen d8→e8, captures rook).
4. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen e2→e8, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, discovered attack, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Rxe8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3qr1k1/2p2ppp/1p1n4/3P4/r1P1N3/4R3/4QPPP/5RK1 b - - 2 25

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