Chess Puzzle #9CrMi — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks c1/d1; bishops c2/h6; knight g6; pawns a4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c3; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/e7; knight d5; pawns a6/b7/e6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxf3 — queen c3→f3, captures queen. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight g6→e7, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Nxe7 (knight d5→e7, captures knight).
3. Best move: gxf3 — pawn g2→f3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/1p2bp1p/p3p1NB/3n4/P7/2q2Q2/2B2PPP/2RR2K1 b - - 0 21

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