Chess Puzzle #X7JCE — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen h7; rooks d1/f1; bishop g6; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/h3. Black: king f8; queen b6; rooks a8/f4; bishop g7; knight d4; pawns a7/b7/d6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nf5 — knight d4→f5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: c3 — pawn c2→c3. Opponent replies Rf2 (rook f4→f2).
3. Best move: Rxf2 — rook f1→f2, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxf2 (queen b6→f2, captures rook).
4. Best move: Bxf5 — bishop g6→f5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame, pin, quiet move. The key move is c3.

Position data

FEN: r4k2/pp4bQ/1q1p2B1/3P4/3n1r2/7P/PPP5/1K1R1R2 b - - 3 27

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