Chess Puzzle #7Ee49 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g4; rooks c1/e1; knight e6; pawns a2/b4/c3/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; bishop a6; pawns a7/b5/d5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: fxe6 — pawn f7→e6, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen g4→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qf7 (queen c7→f7).
3. Best move: Qxa6 — queen e6→a6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p1q2p1p/b3N1p1/1p1pP3/1P4Q1/2P5/P4PPP/2R1R1K1 b - - 0 20

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