Chess Puzzle #7BHWI — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f1; rook a1; bishops e2/e5; knights f3/g3; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/g2/h4. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks a8/d8; bishops c5/c8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ng4 — knight f6→g4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: b4 — pawn b2→b4. Opponent replies Qa3 (queen a5→a3).
3. Best move: bxc5 — pawn b4→c5, captures bishop. Opponent replies Nxe5 (knight g4→e5, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is b4.

Position data

FEN: r1br2k1/pp3ppp/4pn2/q1b1B3/7P/2P2NN1/PP2BPP1/R4QK1 b - - 0 18

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