Chess Puzzle #8IDDZ — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks c3/f1; bishop e5; pawns b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen a4; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; pawns a6/b7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qb5 — queen a4→b5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qf6 — queen f3→f6. Opponent replies Qxe5 (queen b5→e5, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Qxe5 — queen f6→e5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Qf6.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/1p3ppp/p3p3/4B3/q7/2R2Q2/1P3PPP/5RK1 b - - 1 18

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