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

Position

White: king g1; queen b3; rooks a1/e1; bishop c4; knight f5; pawns a4/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knight b4; pawns a5/b7/d7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: O-O — king e8→g8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qc3 — queen b3→c3. Opponent replies exf5 (pawn e6→f5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Bxf7+ — bishop c4→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf7 (king g8→f7, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Qxc7 — queen c3→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Bxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/1pqp1ppp/4p3/p4N2/PnB5/1Q6/2P2PPP/R3R1K1 b kq - 1 16

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