Chess Puzzle #IPplV — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks f1/f2; pawns b4/d3/g5/h6. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks b3/f5; pawns b5/b7/c6/d6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen e7→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Re1 — rook f1→e1. Opponent replies Rb1 (rook b3→b1).
3. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen d4→e5, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies dxe5 (pawn d6→e5, captures queen).
4. Best move: Rxb1 — rook e1→b1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, pin. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 7k/1p2q2p/2pp2pP/1p3rP1/1P1Q4/1r1P4/5R2/5RK1 b - - 1 34

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