Chess Puzzle #Z8hfF — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rooks d3/e2; knight d4; pawns a3/c2/c3/f3/g4. Black: king g7; queen f6; rooks c4/c8; bishop b7; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/g5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf4 — queen f6→f4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe6+ — knight d4→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Rd7+ — rook d3→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king g7→g6).
4. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen e3→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qf6 (queen f4→f6).
5. Best move: Rxb7 — rook d7→b7, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

clearance, crushing, fork, intermezzo, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, very long. The key move Nxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r5/1b3pk1/p3pq2/1p4p1/2rN2P1/P1PRQP2/2P1R3/6K1 b - - 1 25

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