Chess Puzzle #5hew7 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen e2; rooks d1/f1; bishop f5; knight c3; pawns a2/b4/e4/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen b6; rooks d8/f6; bishop e7; knight c5; pawns a7/b7/c6/e5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxb4 — queen b6→b4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qh5 — queen e2→h5. Opponent replies h6 (pawn h7→h6).
3. Best move: Rxd8+ — rook d1→d8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, master, middlegame, short. The key move Rxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r3k/pp2b1pp/1qp2r2/2n1pB2/1P2P3/2N3P1/P3Q2P/3R1R1K b - - 0 21

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