Chess Puzzle #BzEMG — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f1; queen c3; rook a1; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop e7; pawns a6/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rc8 — rook a8→c8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxc8 — queen c3→c8, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxc8 (queen d8→c8, captures queen).
3. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight d5→e7, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
4. Best move: Nxc8 — knight e7→c8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2q1rk1/4bppp/p7/3Np3/4P3/2Q5/PPP2PPP/R4K2 b - - 1 21

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