Chess Puzzle #V3LVP — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; queen f3; rook h1; bishop c4; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/e4/g2/h4. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a4/b7/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: b5 — pawn b7→b5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qh5 — queen f3→h5. Opponent replies h6 (pawn h7→h6).
3. Best move: Qg6 — queen h5→g6. Opponent replies Qxg5+ (queen e7→g5, captures knight, gives check).
4. Best move: hxg5 — pawn h4→g5, captures queen. Opponent replies bxc4 (pawn b5→c4, captures bishop).
5. Best move: Qh5 — queen g6→h5.

Tactical themes

advantage, master, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move is Qh5.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/1ppbqppp/8/4p1N1/p1B1P2P/3P1Q2/PPP3P1/2K4R b - - 1 19

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