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

Position

White: king h1; queen g6; rook h5; bishop h4; pawns a4/d5/e6/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks b7/f8; pawns a6/f6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe8 — queen e7→e8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxh6+ — rook h5→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh6 (pawn g7→h6, captures rook).
3. Best move: Bxf6+ — bishop h4→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf6 (rook f8→f6, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen g6→e8, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, long, sacrifice. The key move Rxh6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/1r2q1p1/p3PpQp/3P3R/P6B/7P/6P1/7K b - - 0 36

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