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

Position

White: king h1; queen g5; rook d1; bishop b2; knight c8; pawns a2/b3/c2/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen f2; rook a8; bishop g7; knight e5; pawns a5/b7/c5/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rxc8 — rook a8→c8, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rd8+ — rook d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop g7→f8).
3. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen g5→e5, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
4. Best move: Qxf6+ — queen e5→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen f2→f6, captures queen).
5. Best move: Bxf6+ — bishop b2→f6, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
6. Best move: Rxc8 — rook d8→c8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, kingside attack, middlegame, very long. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1N4k/1p3pbp/4p1p1/p1p1n1Q1/8/1P6/PBP2qPP/3R3K b - - 0 22

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