Chess Puzzle #MMwj5 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks a1/e1; bishop g6; pawns a2/b2/c4/d5/g2/h2. Black: king d8; queen f2; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/c6/e7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf4 — queen f2→f4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: dxc6+ — pawn d5→c6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qd6 (queen f4→d6).
3. Best move: Qxd6+ — queen d3→d6, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies exd6 (pawn e7→d6, captures queen).
4. Best move: Re8+ — rook e1→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kc7 (king d8→c7).
5. Best move: Rxa8 — rook e8→a8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, skewer, very long. The key move dxc6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2k1b1r/pp2p1p1/2p3Bp/3P4/2P3n1/3Q4/PP3qPP/R3R2K b - - 1 22

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