Chess Puzzle #CMHvR — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king d2; queen d3; rooks d4/h1; bishops d6/e2; pawns b3/c2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b2; rooks a8/h8; knights b4/d5; pawns a7/b5/c6/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bxb4 — bishop d6→b4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Nxb4 — knight d5→b4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qc3 (queen d3→c3).
3. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen b2→c3, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/p4ppp/2pBp3/1p1nP3/1n1R4/1P1Q4/1qPKBPPP/7R w kq - 8 20

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