Chess Puzzle #oPz3A — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen g4; rooks a1/h1; bishops a2/c1; knight f4; pawns a3/b2/c2/d3/e4/f2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/g7; knights d4/d5; pawns a7/b7/c5/e5/g6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nxd5 — knight f4→d5, captures knight. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Nxc2+ — knight d4→c2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king e1→f1).
3. Best move: Rxf2+ — rook f8→f2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf2 (king f1→f2, captures rook).
4. Best move: Bxg4 — bishop c8→g4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Nxc2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rk1/pp4b1/6p1/2pnp3/3nPNQ1/P2P4/BPP2P2/R1B1K2R w KQ - 0 15

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