Chess Puzzle #Mt4ll — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king a2; queen g8; knight d5; pawns b2/b5/d6/e4. Black: king f4; queen c2; rook f2; pawns a5/c4/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxe4 — king f4→e4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxh7+ — queen g8→h7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxd5 (king e4→d5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxc2 — queen h7→c2, captures queen. Opponent replies Rxc2 (rook f2→c2, captures queen).
4. Best move: d7 — pawn d6→d7.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, long, sacrifice. The key move Qxh7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6Q1/7p/3P4/pP1N4/2p1Pk2/8/KPq2r2/8 b - - 12 44

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