Chess Puzzle #KtTi9 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen c4; rooks b2/f1; bishop g2; pawns a2/c2/f2/h2. Black: king b8; queen c8; rooks d8/e8; knight e2; pawns a7/b6/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rd6 — rook d8→d6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: c3 — pawn c2→c3. Opponent replies Qe6 (queen c8→e6).
3. Best move: Qa6 — queen c4→a6.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, quiet move, short. The key move is c3.

Position data

FEN: 1kqrr3/p1p2ppp/1p6/8/2Q5/8/PRP1nPBP/5R1K b - - 7 24

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