Real positions. Quiet practice.

Advanced pawn Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2284 · solved 123,690,453 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are advanced pawn puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 109,461 puzzles, median rating 2284, solved 123,690,453 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how solutions at this level are built.

All advanced pawn puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

advanced pawn puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 109,461 advanced pawn puzzles at advanced level, solved 123,690,453 times in total. The median rating is 2284.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 90,235 Promotion · 33,525 Defensive move · 20,370 Quiet move · 18,633 Middlegame tactics · 18,612 Rook endgame tactics · 17,537 Sacrifice · 13,470 Exposed king · 10,906

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 487 French Defence · 190 Italian Game · 189 Caro–Kann Defence · 156 Queen's Pawn Game · 140 Scandinavian Defense · 106 English Opening · 100 Queen's Gambit Declined · 98

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical advanced pawn solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 advanced pawn puzzles at advanced level (1.8% of all 109,461).

15.8% need 2 solver moves, 39.4% need 3 solver moves, 22.8% need 4 solver moves, 22% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2179 for the shortest solutions, 2437 for the longest.

53% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 27.2% and gives check in 26.9%; 1.4% end in checkmate, 17.8% involve a sacrifice, 52.5% have White to move.

27.2%first move captures

26.9%first move gives check

1.4%end in checkmate

17.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves

15.8% · median rating 2179

3 solver moves

39.4% · median rating 2263

4 solver moves

22.8% · median rating 2301

5+ solver moves

22% · median rating 2437

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn

53%

Key move by a rook

15.4%

Key move by the king

11.8%

Key move by a queen

9.8%

Key move by a bishop

6.2%

Key move by a knight

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line

35.2%

Most valuable capture: pawn

19.2%

Most valuable capture: rook

19%

Most valuable capture: queen

15%

Most valuable capture: bishop

6.4%

Most valuable capture: knight

5.2%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)

62.2%

Up to 2 pawns’ worth

16.8%

3–4 points (about a minor piece)

11.1%

5–8 points (a rook or more)

7.8%

9 or more points (a queen’s worth)

2.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board

1.2%

21–27 pieces

11.2%

13–20 pieces

37.1%

12 pieces or fewer

50.6%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: f7 (6.4%), f6 (5.2%), e6 (5%), d7 (4.6%), g7 (4.3%).

	1.3	1.8	1.1		1.1			8
3.2	3.6	4.2	4.6	3.8	6.4	4.3	3.3	7
2.2	2.8	3.2	3.1	5	5.2	3.9	3.1	6
	1.3	1.7	1.7	2.6	1.8	1.6	2	5
		1.1	1.2		1.2			4
				1				3
								2
								1
a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved advanced pawn puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.


				♟	♕
	♔
♙
				♙

♜		♚	♟

Black to move · rating 2002 · solved 817 times · 3 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh7+

Solution: Kc1 → Qxf7 → Rb2+ → Ka7 → d1=Q



		♔
♟
	♗		♚	♙

Black to move · rating 2003 · solved 702 times · 7 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxb4

Solution: axb4 → h5 → Ke5 → h6 → Kf6 → h7 → Kg7 → h8=R → Kxh8 → Kb5 → b3 → Ka4 → b2




♝	♚	♘
	♟	♙
♟		♔
♙

Black to move · rating 2031 · solved 649 times · 2 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke3

Solution: c3 → Nf3 → cxb2

						♗
					♟
				♚	♙

♟			♟
		♙

	♔

Black to move · rating 2064 · solved 745 times · 4 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: bxc3

Solution: d3 → Bg7 → d2 → Kc2 → a3 → Kxd2 → a2

				♜
	♟			♙	♖
		♟
♟				♔		♚
♙			♙
	♙						♟

Black to move · rating 2090 · solved 1,181 times · 2 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke5

Solution: h2 → Rh7 → Rxe7+

	♚
		♘			♟
	♟	♙	♛
		♟	♘	♟			♟
	♙			♞		♞
♙
			♜			♙	♙
	♖				♖	♔

White to move · rating 2120 · solved 732 times · 4 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxe4

Solution: Na6+ → Kc8 → Nxb6+ → Kd8 → c7+ → Qxc7 → Nxc7


♕		♚
	♜			♟
			♟

				♙
	♟			♔

Black to move · rating 2151 · solved 674 times · 3 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qc7+

Solution: Rd7 → Qe5+ → Kf7 → Qh8 → d1=Q

			♜

♟		♙		♚
		♔					♟
	♙		♗	♟		♟

					♙		♙

White to move · rating 2217 · solved 687 times · 2 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g4

Solution: c7 → Rg8 → Kc6


				♟		♟
	♙	♔	♟	♚	♟
♖

					♙
	♜

White to move · rating 2258 · solved 963 times · 2 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf6

Solution: c7 → Rxc7 → Kxc7



			♚
	♟				♖
			♟
		♙		♟	♙
♙	♞			♔

Black to move · rating 2265 · solved 916 times · 3 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh5

Solution: Nd3+ → Ke3 → f2 → Ke2 → Nf4+


♟	♟				♚		♟
		♟				♟
	♙	♙		♟	♟
♙
			♗

					♔

White to move · rating 2295 · solved 697 times · 4 solver moves to find.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf7

Solution: b6 → axb6 → cxb6 → Ke6 → Ba6 → bxa6 → b7

♕
♖	♜	♚			♟		♟
			♟		♛	♟	♝
		♟	♙
		♙		♙	♞
	♙		♟		♙		♙
			♘	♗	♙
♖		♔

Black to move · rating 2336 · solved 641 times · Mate in 5.

Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc1

Solution: Qc3+ → Kd1 → dxe2+ → Ke1 → Nd3+ → Kxe2 → Qxd2+ → Kf1 → Qxf2#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Advanced pawn puzzles by difficulty

Foundation level Challenging level Developing level

	1.3	1.8	1.1		1.1			8
3.2	3.6	4.2	4.6	3.8	6.4	4.3	3.3	7
2.2	2.8	3.2	3.1	5	5.2	3.9	3.1	6
	1.3	1.7	1.7	2.6	1.8	1.6	2	5
		1.1	1.2		1.2			4
				1				3
								2
								1
a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

	♚
		♘			♟
	♟	♙	♛
		♟	♘	♟			♟
	♙			♞		♞
♙
			♜			♙	♙
	♖				♖	♔

♕
♖	♜	♚			♟		♟
			♟		♛	♟	♝
		♟	♙
		♙		♙	♞
	♙		♟		♙		♙
			♘	♗	♙
♖		♔

	1.3	1.8	1.1		1.1			8
3.2	3.6	4.2	4.6	3.8	6.4	4.3	3.3	7
2.2	2.8	3.2	3.1	5	5.2	3.9	3.1	6
	1.3	1.7	1.7	2.6	1.8	1.6	2	5
		1.1	1.2		1.2			4
				1				3
								2
								1
a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

	♚
		♘			♟
	♟	♙	♛
		♟	♘	♟			♟
	♙			♞		♞
♙
			♜			♙	♙
	♖				♖	♔

♕
♖	♜	♚			♟		♟
			♟		♛	♟	♝
		♟	♙
		♙		♙	♞
	♙		♟		♙		♙
			♘	♗	♙
♖		♔

	1.3	1.8	1.1		1.1			8
3.2	3.6	4.2	4.6	3.8	6.4	4.3	3.3	7
2.2	2.8	3.2	3.1	5	5.2	3.9	3.1	6
	1.3	1.7	1.7	2.6	1.8	1.6	2	5
		1.1	1.2		1.2			4
				1				3
								2
								1
a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

	♚
		♘			♟
	♟	♙	♛
		♟	♘	♟			♟
	♙			♞		♞
♙
			♜			♙	♙
	♖				♖	♔

♕
♖	♜	♚			♟		♟
			♟		♛	♟	♝
		♟	♙
		♙		♙	♞
	♙		♟		♙		♙
			♘	♗	♙
♖		♔