Chess Puzzle #veSW5 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen a6; knight c5; pawns a3/b4/d4/h3. Black: king e7; queen h7; rook f2; pawns a7/c6/d5/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kd6 — king e7→d6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qc8 — queen a6→c8. Opponent replies Qe7 (queen h7→e7).
3. Best move: Nb7+ — knight c5→b7, gives check. Opponent replies Qxb7 (queen e7→b7, captures knight).
4. Best move: Qxb7 — queen c8→b7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, long. The key move is Qc8.

Position data

FEN: 8/p3k2q/Q1p3p1/2Np3p/1P1P4/P6P/5r2/7K b - - 1 38

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