Chess Puzzle #JGrX3 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks a1/e3; pawns a4/b4/c3/f4/h2. Black: king g6; queen h4; rooks e8/f8; knight h3; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kh5 — king g6→h5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxh3 — rook e3→h3, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxh3 (queen h4→h3, captures rook).
3. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen d3→h3, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, pin, short. The key move Qxh3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4rr2/1pp3p1/p2p2kp/8/PP3P1q/2PQR2n/7P/R6K b - - 3 27

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