Chess Puzzle #JoCj5 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rook c2; bishop d3; knight g5; pawns a3/b2/e4/f2/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rook c8; bishop g7; knight c6; pawns a6/b5/d6/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Bh6 — bishop g7→h6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxc6 — rook c2→c6, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxg5 (bishop h6→g5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rxc7 — rook c6→c7, captures queen. Opponent replies Bxf4 (bishop g5→f4, captures queen).
4. Best move: Rxc8+ — rook c7→c8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, master, middlegame. The key move Rxc8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/2q2pbp/p1np2p1/1p4N1/4PQP1/P2B3P/1PR2P2/6K1 b - - 1 27

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