Chess Puzzle #l68NS — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; rook f1; bishop a2; knight b6; pawns a3/b4/d7/f2/g3. Black: king h8; queen h4; bishop e5; pawns b5/e4/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd8 — queen h4→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rc1 — rook f1→c1. Opponent replies Bc7 (bishop e5→c7).
3. Best move: Nd5 — knight b6→d5. Opponent replies Qxd7 (queen d8→d7, captures pawn).
4. Best move: Rxc7 — rook c1→c7, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, long, quiet move. The key move is Rc1.

Position data

FEN: 7k/3P1p1p/1N4p1/1p2b3/1P2p2q/P5P1/B4P2/5RK1 b - - 0 34

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