Chess Puzzle #bWvE7 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen c3; rooks c1/g3; knights a5/f3; pawns a4/b3/d3/e4/f2/g4. Black: king b8; queen g6; rooks d8/h8; bishop d7; knight f4; pawns a6/b7/c7/e5/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: c6 — pawn c7→c6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures pawn. Opponent replies fxe5 (pawn f6→e5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen c3→e5, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r3r/1ppb2pp/p4pq1/N3p3/P3PnP1/1PQP1NR1/5P2/2R1K3 b - - 4 27

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