Chess Puzzle #Q15N8 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rooks c1/e1; bishops e3/g2; pawns a3/b3/f4/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks c8/e8; bishop g7; knight c6; pawns a6/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Na7 — knight c6→a7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qa4 — queen c4→a4. Opponent replies Qxa4 (queen a5→a4, captures queen).
3. Best move: bxa4 — pawn b3→a4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Qa4.

Position data

FEN: 2r1r1k1/4ppbp/p1np2p1/q7/2Q2P2/PP2B1PP/6B1/2R1R1K1 b - - 0 27

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