Chess Puzzle #F8AzB — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen b7; rooks d1/h1; bishops a6/f4; pawns a2/e3/e5/f2/g4/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks c8/h8; bishops e6/f8; knight f6; pawns b2/e7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nd7 — knight f6→d7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxc8 — queen b7→c8, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxc8 (queen d8→c8, captures queen).
3. Best move: Bxc8 — bishop a6→c8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, master, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc8 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 2rqkb1r/1Q2pppp/B3bn2/4P3/5BP1/4P3/Pp3P1P/3RK2R b Kk - 1 14

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