Chess Puzzle #Z9zUY — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f3; queen h4; knight e8; pawns a3/c4/e3/f4/g3. Black: king h8; queen g7; knight a5; pawns a6/b7/c5/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qc3 — queen g7→c3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe7 — queen h4→e7. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
3. Best move: Nf6+ — knight e8→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen c3→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qxf6 — queen e7→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move is Qe7.

Position data

FEN: 4N2k/1p3pqp/p3p1p1/n1p5/2P2P1Q/P3PKP1/8/8 b - - 10 40

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