Chess Puzzle #AkSqE — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rook f1; knight f2; pawns a3/c2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b2; rooks a8/f8; knight e7; pawns a7/b7/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa3 — queen b2→a3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Ng4 — knight f2→g4. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
3. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight g4→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf6 (rook f8→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qxf6 — queen d4→f6, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, long, middlegame, quiet move. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp2np1p/8/8/3Q4/P1P5/1qP2NPP/5RK1 b - - 3 21

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