Chess Puzzle #8xUw6 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e4; rooks e1/f1; bishop b2; pawns a3/c2/c3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen h4; rooks f8/g5; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxh3 — queen h4→h3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: f4 — pawn f2→f4. Opponent replies Rg4 (rook g5→g4).
3. Best move: fxe5 — pawn f4→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Rxe4 (rook g4→e4, captures queen).
4. Best move: gxh3 — pawn g2→h3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/ppp2pp1/7p/4n1r1/4Q2q/P1P4P/1BP2PP1/4RRK1 b - - 0 20

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