Chess Puzzle #F8m4Z — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen b5; rooks b2/h1; bishop d2; knight f3; pawns a3/d4/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen a6; rooks a8/h8; bishop d3; knight e7; pawns a7/c4/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa3 — queen a6→a3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qb8+ — queen b5→b8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxb8 (rook a8→b8, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rxb8+ — rook b2→b8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Nc8 (knight e7→c8).
4. Best move: Bb4+ — bishop d2→b4, gives check. Opponent replies Qxb4+ (queen a3→b4, captures bishop, gives check).
5. Best move: Rxb4 — rook b8→b4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, very long. The key move Rxb8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/p3nppp/q3p3/1Q2P3/2pP4/P2b1N2/1R1B1PPP/4K2R b K - 0 20

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