Chess Puzzle #D4sEF — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishop c1; knights e4/f3; pawns a2/b2/c4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops f8/g4; knight f6; pawns a6/c6/c7/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxd1 — queen d8→d1, captures queen. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
3. Best move: Rxd1+ — rook e1→d1, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, double check, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/2p2pp1/p1p2n1p/8/2P1N1b1/5N2/PP3PPP/R1BQR1K1 b kq - 0 13

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