Chess Puzzle #XCy9A — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g2; queen e7; knight f7; pawns a2/b3/c4/d4/e2/g3/h2. Black: king h6; queen c2; rook a8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kh5 — king h6→h5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: g4+ — pawn g3→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg4 (king h5→g4, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Qe6+ — queen e7→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Qf5 (queen c2→f5).
4. Best move: Nh6+ — knight f7→h6, gives check.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, long. The key move is g4+.

Position data

FEN: r7/pp2QN1p/2p2npk/8/2PP4/1P4P1/P1q1P1KP/8 b - - 2 24

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