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

Position

White: king c1; queen h5; rook d1; bishop g4; knights d2/e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c5/d7/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: cxd4 — pawn c5→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rf1 — rook d1→f1. Opponent replies Qh6 (queen f6→h6).
3. Best move: Qxf7+ — queen h5→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
4. Best move: Qc4 — queen f7→c4. Opponent replies Nc6 (knight b8→c6).
5. Best move: Nf7+ — knight e5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kc7 (king d8→c7).
6. Best move: Nxh6 — knight f7→h6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attack on f2/f7, fork, middlegame, very long. The key move Qxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rnb1kb1r/pp1p1p1p/5q2/2p1N2Q/3P2B1/2P5/PP1N3P/2KR4 b kq - 1 17

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