Chess Puzzle #s041G — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen f6; bishop b2; pawns a3/b4/d4/f2/g5/h3. Black: king g7; queen b8; bishop e8; pawns a6/b5/d5/e6/f7/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kh7 — king g7→h7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bc1 — bishop b2→c1. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h7→g8).
3. Best move: Bf4 — bishop c1→f4. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen b8→f4, captures bishop).
4. Best move: Qxf4 — queen f6→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, quiet move. The key move is Bc1.

Position data

FEN: 1q2b3/5pk1/p3pQ2/1p1p2Pp/1P1P4/P6P/1B3P2/6K1 b - - 1 34

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