Chess Puzzle #S5n2V — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen a4; rooks d1/e1; bishop c1; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen f7; rooks a8/f8; bishops d7/g7; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/c7/e7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rc8 — rook a8→c8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe7 — knight d5→e7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxe7 (queen f7→e7, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rxe7+ — rook e1→e7, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Rxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kr2/1ppbpqbp/p1n5/3N4/Q7/8/PPP2PPP/1KBRR3 b - - 1 21

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