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

Position

White: king h1; queen d1; rook a1; bishops c1/c6; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f2; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/d4; pawns a7/c7/e4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rb8 — rook a8→b8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe4 — knight c3→e4, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qf5 (queen f2→f5).
3. Best move: Qxd4 — queen d1→d4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Nxe4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/p1p2ppp/2B5/8/3bp3/2N5/PPP2qPP/R1BQ3K b - - 0 13

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