Chess Puzzle #VpBa2 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen e7; bishop e3; knight h4; pawns a4/b4/c3/g2/h3. Black: king h6; queen d5; rook a2; bishop e2; pawns c6/f6/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen d5→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qf8+ — queen e7→f8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh5 (king h6→h5).
3. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f8→f7, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, pin, short. The key move is Qf8+.

Position data

FEN: 8/4Q2p/2p2p1k/3q2p1/PP5N/2P1B2P/r3b1P1/7K b - - 1 33

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