Chess Puzzle #ub3xG — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks d1/e1; knight g4; pawns a2/b3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b4; rooks a8/d8; knight e4; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Nc3 — knight e4→c3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qe6+ — queen e2→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
3. Best move: Nh6 — knight g4→h6. Opponent replies Qf8 (queen b4→f8).
4. Best move: Nf7+ — knight h6→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf7 (queen f8→f7, captures knight).
5. Best move: Qxf7 — queen e6→f7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, quiet move, very long. The key move is Qe6+.

Position data

FEN: r2r2k1/pp4pp/2p2p2/3p4/1q2n1N1/1P6/P3QPPP/3RR1K1 b - - 1 23

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