Chess Puzzle #Lmc5g — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king d3; queen h8; rook b6; pawns c5/e3/f4/h4. Black: king d7; queen g6; rook c7; pawns c6/d5/e6/f5/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ra7 — rook c7→a7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rb8 — rook b6→b8. Opponent replies Ra3+ (rook a7→a3, gives check).
3. Best move: Kd4 — king d3→d4. Opponent replies e5+ (pawn e6→e5, gives check).
4. Best move: Qxe5 — queen h8→e5, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, long, quiet move. The key move is Rb8.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/2rk1p2/1Rp1p1qp/2Pp1p2/5P1P/3KP3/8/8 b - - 5 31

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