Chess Puzzle #F1YuW — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen e3; rooks g3/h1; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h4. Black: king f8; queen b5; rooks a8/d8; bishop e7; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/f7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rd5 — rook d8→d5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: c4 — pawn c2→c4. Opponent replies Rxe5 (rook d5→e5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qh6+ — queen e3→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f8→e8).
4. Best move: cxb5 — pawn c4→b5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move is c4.

Position data

FEN: r2r1k2/pp2bp2/2p1pn2/1q2N3/7P/4Q1R1/PPP2PP1/1K5R b - - 7 21

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