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

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/e1; bishop c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e4; rooks a8/f8; knights b8/e7; pawns a7/b7/c7/f4/f7/g5/h6. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qc4 — queen e4→c4. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxe7 — rook e1→e7, captures knight. Opponent replies Qc5+ (queen c4→c5, gives check).
3. Best move: Qd4 — queen d1→d4. Opponent replies Qxd4+ (queen c5→d4, captures queen, gives check).
4. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop c3→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, hanging piece, long, middlegame. The key move Rxe7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: rn3rk1/ppp1np2/7p/3P2p1/4qp2/2B5/PPP3PP/R2QR1K1 b - - 1 17

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