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

Position

White: king c1; queen d4; rook g1; bishop d2; knight f4; pawns a2/b2/c4/d5/h2. Black: king g8; queen h3; rook a8; bishop f5; knights b8/e8; pawns a7/b7/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qh4 — queen h3→h4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: d6 — pawn d5→d6. Opponent replies Nd7 (knight b8→d7).
3. Best move: Qd5+ — queen d4→d5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
4. Best move: Qxf5 — queen d5→f5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is d6.

Position data

FEN: rn2n1k1/pp4pp/5p2/3P1b2/2PQ1N2/7q/PP1B3P/2K3R1 b - - 3 21

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