Chess Puzzle #6MkaD — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen b3; rooks a1/e1; bishop g3; knight f3; pawns b2/e6/g5/h2. Black: king e8; queen c6; rooks c8/h8; bishop c5; knight d5; pawns f5/f7/g7/h3. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ne5 — knight f3→e5. Opponent replies Qb6 (queen c6→b6).
3. Best move: Qa4+ — queen b3→a4, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne5.

Position data

FEN: 2r1k2r/5pp1/2q1P3/2bn1pP1/8/1Q3NBp/1P5P/R3R2K b k - 0 36

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