Chess Puzzle #6MCjs — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h2; queen d7; knight d5; pawns a2/f3/g2/h3. Black: king a4; queen c1; rook c5; pawns a7/b7/c4/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rc6 — rook c5→c6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxb7 — queen d7→b7, captures pawn. Opponent replies a5 (pawn a7→a5).
3. Best move: Qxc6+ — queen b7→c6, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Qxc6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp1Q1p1p/8/2rN4/k1p5/5P1P/P5PK/2q5 b - - 2 38

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