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

Position

White: king h2; queen h4; rook f3; bishop b2; pawns a3/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen f5; rook a8; bishop b5; knight f6; pawns a7/b6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe6 — queen f5→e6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxf6 — rook f3→f6, captures knight. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures rook).
3. Best move: Qxh6+ — queen h4→h6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h8→g8).
4. Best move: Bxf6 — bishop b2→f6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen e6→f6, captures bishop).
5. Best move: Qxf6 — queen h6→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, intermezzo, middlegame, very long. The key move Qxh6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r6k/p4pp1/1p3n1p/1b3q2/7Q/P4R1P/1B4PK/8 b - - 1 31

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