Chess Puzzle #E5vZo — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rook c8; knight f4; pawns e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen d2; rook f7; bishops a5/f5; pawns c4/e6/f6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: c3 — pawn c4→c3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qa8 — queen f3→a8. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen d2→d8).
3. Best move: Rxd8 — rook c8→d8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move is Qa8.

Position data

FEN: 2R5/5rpk/4pp1p/b4b2/2p2N2/4PQ1P/3q1PP1/6K1 b - - 0 35

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