Chess Puzzle #63lce — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d2; rooks d5/f1; knight h5; pawns c2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b2; rooks b8/f8; bishop f6; pawns a5/c4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rbd8 — rook b8→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight h5→f6, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rxd8 — rook d5→d8, captures rook. Opponent replies Rxd8 (rook f8→d8, captures rook).
4. Best move: Qxd8+ — queen d2→d8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1r3rk1/5ppp/5b2/p2R3N/2p5/8/1qPQ2PP/5R1K b - - 5 28

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