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

Position

White: king a1; queen b3; rook g1; bishop c3; pawns a4/d6/f4. Black: king h8; queen e4; rook h2; bishop d8; pawns a7/b6/c5/e5/f6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: c4 — pawn c5→c4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qb5 — queen b3→b5. Opponent replies Rg2 (rook h2→g2).
3. Best move: Qe8+ — queen b5→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king h8→g7).
4. Best move: Qd7+ — queen e8→d7, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Qb5.

Position data

FEN: 3b3k/p6p/1p1P1p2/2p1p3/P3qP2/1QB5/7r/K5R1 b - - 2 34

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