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

Position

White: king b1; queen c2; rook d7; bishop e3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/e4/f3. Black: king g8; queen a5; rook f8; knights g3/g6; pawns a6/c4/c6/e5/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rd8 — rook f8→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qa4 — queen c2→a4. Opponent replies Qxa4 (queen a5→a4, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rxd8+ — rook d7→d8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
4. Best move: Nxa4 — knight c3→a4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, intermezzo, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Rxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/3R1pp1/p1p3np/q3p3/2p1P3/2N1BPn1/PPQ5/1K6 b - - 0 25

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