Chess Puzzle #l3GvH — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishop b2; knight f5; pawns a2/b3/c2/e4/f2/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishop d6; knight f3; pawns a6/b7/c6/c7/d4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen f6→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxd6+ — knight f5→d6, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Qxd6 (queen e5→d6, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxf3 — queen d1→f3, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Nxd6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/1pp2ppp/p1pb1q2/5N2/3pP3/1P3n2/PBP2P1P/R2Q1R1K b kq - 1 14

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