Chess Puzzle #Wu5sa — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d7; rook c8; pawns a4/e6/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen a3; bishop f6; knight e7; pawns a7/b6/e3/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxc8 — knight e7→c8, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen d7→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
3. Best move: Qxf6+ — queen f7→f6, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
4. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f6→f7, gives check.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, fork, long. The key move Qxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2R3k1/p2Qn2p/1p2Pbp1/8/P7/q3p2P/6P1/7K b - - 0 33

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