Chess Puzzle #m0wAt — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen b3; rooks d1/h1; bishop f1; knight c3; pawns a2/e3/e6/f2/g2/h2. Black: king d7; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c2/f8; knight b4; pawns a6/b5/c7/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Ke7 — king d7→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxb4+ — queen b3→b4, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxe6 (king e7→e6, captures pawn).
3. Best move: Bc4+ — bishop f1→c4, gives check. Opponent replies bxc4 (pawn b5→c4, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Qxc4+ — queen b4→c4, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move Qxb4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4b1r/2pk1pp1/p3Pq1p/1p6/1n6/1QN1P3/P1b2PPP/3RKB1R b K - 0 15

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