Chess Puzzle #m6iOG — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen h3; rooks d7/f3; knight e3; pawns f5/f6/h2. Black: king h7; queen e4; rooks a8/g8; knight b3; pawns a7/b7/f7/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Raf8 — rook a8→f8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Re7 — rook d7→e7. Opponent replies Qb1+ (queen e4→b1, gives check).
3. Best move: Rf1 — rook f3→f1.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, middlegame, short. The key move is Re7.

Position data

FEN: r5r1/pp1R1p1k/5Pp1/5P1p/4q3/1n2NR1Q/7P/7K b - - 3 31

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