Chess Puzzle #O3Eml — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks e1/f1; pawns a2/b2/c5/d3/f2/f3/h2. Black: king e8; queen e6; rooks a8/h8; knight g8; pawns a6/b7/c6/e5/f7/g5/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qh3 — queen e6→h3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen e2→e5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
3. Best move: Qd6+ — queen e5→d6, gives check.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k1nr/1p3pp1/p1p1q3/2P1p1p1/8/3P1P2/PP2QP1P/4RRK1 b kq - 1 18

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