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

Position

White: king g1; queen h3; rook f1; knight e5; pawns c3/f2/g2/h6. Black: king g8; queen a3; rook b8; knight d7; pawns a4/c5/d5/e6/f6/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen h3→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Nf7 (knight e5→f7).
3. Best move: Qxf6 — queen e6→f6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Nxh6 (knight f7→h6, captures pawn).
4. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen f6→g5, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, long. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1r4k1/3n3p/4pp1P/2ppN1p1/p7/q1P4Q/5PP1/5RK1 b - - 1 30

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