Chess Puzzle #5U7tW — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen d3; rooks d1/g1; bishop c4; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f4; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight h4; pawns a7/b7/c5/d6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nf5 — knight h4→f5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e4→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
3. Best move: Rxg7 — rook g1→g7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qh4 (queen f4→h4).
4. Best move: Rxh7+ — rook g7→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxh7 (queen h4→h7, captures rook).
5. Best move: Nxh7 — knight f6→h7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move Rxh7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/pp3ppp/3p4/2p5/2B1Nq1n/3Q4/PPP2P1P/1K1R2R1 b - - 5 18

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