Chess Puzzle #cS03D — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishop e3; knight c3; pawns a4/b4/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen f5; rooks d8/h8; bishop f8; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/g5/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxb4 — knight c6→b4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qd4 — queen d1→d4. Opponent replies Nxc2 (knight b4→c2, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Qxh8 — queen d4→h8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd4.

Position data

FEN: 2kr1b1r/1pp5/p1np4/5qpp/PP6/2N1B3/2P2PPP/R2QR1K1 b - - 0 16

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