Chess Puzzle #7mgpR — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen e3; rook c1; bishop f4; knight a4; pawns a2/b2/g2/h3. Black: king e8; queen b7; rook g6; bishop e7; knight f6; pawns a6/b4/e4/e6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nh5 — knight f6→h5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rc7 — rook c1→c7. Opponent replies Qb5 (queen b7→b5).
3. Best move: Rc8+ — rook c7→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Bd8 (bishop e7→d8).
4. Best move: Bc7 — bishop f4→c7. Opponent replies Qf1+ (queen b5→f1, gives check).
5. Best move: Qg1 — queen e3→g1. Opponent replies Ng3+ (knight h5→g3, gives check).
6. Best move: Kh2 — king h1→h2.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, middlegame, very long. The key move is Rc7.

Position data

FEN: 4k3/1q2bp1p/p3pnr1/8/Np2pB2/4Q2P/PP4P1/2R4K b - - 0 27

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