Chess Puzzle #7C4fe — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen a4; rooks e3/f1; bishop c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king b8; queen e6; rooks e8/h8; knight e5; pawns a7/b6/c6/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qc4 — queen e6→c4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bxe5+ — bishop c3→e5, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe5 (rook e8→e5, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Qxc4 — queen a4→c4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Bxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k2r2r/p5pp/1pp1qp2/4n3/Q7/2B1R3/PPP3PP/5RK1 b - - 0 22

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