Chess Puzzle #5L8De — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen f4; knight e7; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nd5 — knight e7→d5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nd7+ — knight e5→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
3. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e2→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
4. Best move: Nf8+ — knight d7→f8, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move is Nd7+.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/ppp1npp1/7p/4N3/3P1q2/2P4P/PP2Q1P1/6K1 b - - 6 23

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