Chess Puzzle #Q2JaT — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g7; rooks a1/f1; bishop h6; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/e7; knight c4; pawns a7/b7/d5/d7/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nd6 — knight c4→d6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rae1 — rook a1→e1. Opponent replies Ne4 (knight d6→e4).
3. Best move: f3 — pawn f2→f3. Opponent replies Qb6 (queen d8→b6).
4. Best move: fxe4 — pawn f3→e4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move is Rae1.

Position data

FEN: r1bqkr2/pp1pbpQp/7B/3p4/2nP4/8/PPP2PPP/R4RK1 b q - 1 12

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