Chess Puzzle #I6NtW — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen b5; rooks a1/f3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/g3/h3. Black: king d7; queen e5; rooks d8/h8; bishop d6; knight g8; pawns a7/c7/d5/f6/g7/h4. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ke7 — king d7→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Re3 — rook f3→e3. Opponent replies Qxe3 (queen e5→e3, captures rook).
3. Best move: Nxd5+ — knight c3→d5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e7→f8).
4. Best move: Nxe3 — knight d5→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

attraction, deflection, equality, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Nxd5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r2nr/p1pk2p1/3b1p2/1Q1pq3/7p/2N2RPP/PPP5/R6K b - - 1 21

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