Chess Puzzle #87ww5 — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen a8; rook a1; bishops a7/f1; knight h2; pawns a2/c4/f2. Black: king d7; queen h4; rooks d8/g8; knight b8; pawns b7/c7/f5/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bxb8 — bishop a7→b8, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qe4+ — queen h4→e4, gives check. Opponent replies f3 (pawn f2→f3).
3. Best move: Qd4 — queen e4→d4. Opponent replies Bh3 (bishop f1→h3).
4. Best move: Qxa1+ — queen d4→a1, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame. The key move Qxa1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: Qn1r2r1/Bppk4/7p/5p2/2P4q/8/P4P1N/R4B1K w - - 7 28

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