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

Position

White: king g1; queen b2; rooks c1/f1; bishop g2; knight f4; pawns a3/c4/e3/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen d6; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; knight d5; pawns a7/b7/e4/f5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxe3 — knight d5→e3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: c5 — pawn c4→c5. Opponent replies Qf6 (queen d6→f6).
3. Best move: Qb3+ — queen b2→b3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
4. Best move: Qxe3 — queen b3→e3, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is c5.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp1b3p/3q2p1/3n1p2/2P1pN2/P3P1PP/1Q4B1/2R2RK1 b - - 0 24

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