Chess Puzzle #fLIQ8 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; queen h4; rook g1; bishop d3; knights a4/d2; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f3. Black: king h8; queen c7; rook a8; bishops e6/f8; knights e8/f6; pawns a6/b4/d4/e5/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd7 — queen c7→d7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nb6 — knight a4→b6. Opponent replies Qc6 (queen d7→c6).
3. Best move: Nxa8 — knight b6→a8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Nb6.

Position data

FEN: r3nb1k/2q4p/p3bn2/4p3/Np1pP2Q/3B1P2/PPPN4/2K3R1 b - - 0 25

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