Chess Puzzle #L9r0R — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen h4; rooks c1/c4; bishop a1; pawns a4/b5/e4/f2/h3. Black: king b7; queen d6; rooks g7/g8; bishop b4; pawns a5/e5/h5. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rc6 — rook c4→c6. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Qd3 — queen d6→d3. Opponent replies Qxh5 (queen h4→h5, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Qxe4+ — queen d3→e4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies f3 (pawn f2→f3).
4. Best move: Qe3 — queen e4→e3.

Tactical themes

crushing, exposed king, long, middlegame. The key move Qxe4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6r1/1k4r1/3q4/pP2p2p/PbR1P2Q/7P/5P2/B1R4K w - - 1 36

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