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

Position

White: king d1; queen d2; rooks a1/g1; bishop c4; knight g5; pawns a2/c3/f2/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks a8/f8; bishops b4/c8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rd8 — rook f8→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxf7+ — knight g5→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf7 (queen e7→f7, captures knight).
3. Best move: Bxf7 — bishop c4→f7, captures queen. Opponent replies Rxd2+ (rook d8→d2, captures queen, gives check).
4. Best move: Kxd2 — king d1→d2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2r1k/ppp1qp1p/2n5/6N1/1bB5/2P4P/P2Q1P2/R2K2R1 b - - 0 19

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