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

Position

White: king g1; queen g4; rooks f1/f6; bishop d4; pawns a2/b3/e5/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks a8/f8; bishop b8; knight d5; pawns a7/b7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxa2 — queen a5→a2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxf7 — rook f6→f7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Bxe5 (bishop b8→e5, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Rxf8+ — rook f7→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf8 (rook a8→f8, captures rook).
4. Best move: Qe6+ — queen g4→e6, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, kingside attack, long, middlegame. The key move Rxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rb3rk1/pp3p1p/5Rp1/q2nP3/3B2Q1/1P4P1/P6P/5RK1 b - - 1 24

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