Chess Puzzle #9xD29 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e4; rooks a1/f1; bishop h7; knight d2; pawns a3/c3/d4/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen a5; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight e3; pawns a7/b7/e6/f7/g7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxf1 — knight e3→f1, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qh4 — queen e4→h4. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen a5→d8).
3. Best move: Qh5 — queen h4→h5. Opponent replies Qg5 (queen d8→g5).
4. Best move: Qxg5 — queen h5→g5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame, quiet move. The key move is Qh4.

Position data

FEN: r1b2r1k/pp3ppB/4p3/q7/3PQ3/P1P1n3/3N2PP/R4RK1 b - - 2 18

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