Chess Puzzle #o4rZP — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishop c1; knights b1/g5; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/g4/h3. Black: king f7; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops e4/f8; knights c6/f6; pawns a6/b5/c7/e5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king f7→g8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxe4 — knight g5→e4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxd1 (queen d8→d1, captures queen).
3. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies gxf6 (pawn g7→f6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Rxd1 — rook e1→d1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, intermezzo, long, middlegame, sacrifice. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2q1b1r/2p2kpp/p1n2n2/1p2p1N1/4b1P1/2P4P/PP3P2/RNBQR1K1 b - - 1 14

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