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

Position

White: king g1; queen a4; rooks b1/f1; bishops e2/e3; knight d4; pawns a2/c4/g2/h2. Black: king b8; queen f5; rooks d5/h8; bishops c5/g4; knights e4/g8; pawns a7/b7/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd7 — queen f5→d7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nc6+ — knight d4→c6, gives check. Opponent replies Qxc6 (queen d7→c6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxc6 — queen a4→c6, captures queen. Opponent replies Bxe3+ (bishop c5→e3, captures bishop, gives check).
4. Best move: Kh1 — king g1→h1.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame, pin. The key move is Nc6+.

Position data

FEN: 1k4nr/ppp2ppp/8/2brpq2/Q1PNn1b1/4B3/P3B1PP/1R3RK1 b - - 1 15

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