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Advanced pawn Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1794 · solved 237,320,616 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are advanced pawn puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 89,253 puzzles, median rating 1794, solved 237,320,616 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 challenging level: the numbers

There are 89,253 advanced pawn puzzles at challenging level, solved 237,320,616 times in total. The median rating is 1794.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 74,135Promotion · 29,659Rook endgame tactics · 14,627Middlegame tactics · 14,111Sacrifice · 9,347Defensive move · 8,748Quiet move · 8,240Pawn endgame tactics · 7,300

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 698Queen's Pawn Game · 200French Defence · 186Italian Game · 184Caro–Kann Defence · 143Queen's Gambit Declined · 138English Opening · 137Scandinavian Defense · 116

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 challenging level (2.2% of all 89,253).

0.6% need 1 solver move, 31.5% need 2 solver moves, 44.2% need 3 solver moves, 15.8% need 4 solver moves, 8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1702 for the shortest solutions, 1823 for the longest.

53.8% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 29.7% and gives check in 31.8%; 5.4% end in checkmate, 18.6% involve a sacrifice, 53.6% have White to move.

29.7%first move captures
31.8%first move gives check
5.4%end in checkmate
18.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
0.6% · median rating 1702
2 solver moves
31.5% · median rating 1770
3 solver moves
44.2% · median rating 1789
4 solver moves
15.8% · median rating 1820
5+ solver moves
8% · median rating 1823

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
53.8%
Key move by a rook
17.2%
Key move by a queen
11.8%
Key move by the king
8.4%
Key move by a bishop
4.5%
Key move by a knight
4.3%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
37.4%
Most valuable capture: rook
22.2%
Most valuable capture: queen
15.7%
Most valuable capture: pawn
12.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
5%

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)
64.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
11.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
10.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
10.3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
3.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.2%
21–27 pieces
11%
13–20 pieces
37.9%
12 pieces or fewer
49.9%

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: e7 (5.7%), e6 (4.7%), d7 (4.7%), f7 (4.6%), g7 (4.6%).

11.51.41.712.41.518
3.23.83.84.75.74.64.64.27
2.733.43.84.743.42.36
11.31.52.12.122.11.15
1.21.14
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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.

♜
♝♚
♟♙♛♟
♟
♝♟♙♕
♘♙
♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1606 · solved 1,929 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg7

Solution: Rf1 → Qe7 → Rf7+ → Qxf7 → exf7

♟
♙
♟♙♚♟
♘
♔♝
White to move · rating 1609 · solved 1,890 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf4

Solution: e6 → Kxe3 → e7

♙
♙
♝
♚♟
♟
♔♟
♖
Black to move · rating 1613 · solved 1,920 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c7

Solution: f3+ → Kh3 → g2 → c8=Q → h1=Q+ → Rxh1 → gxh1=Q+

♟♟
♟
♙♙
♟♚♙
♔
White to move · rating 1630 · solved 2,341 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxf4

Solution: g6 → Kxe5 → gxf7

♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟
♘♟
♘
♛
♙♙♞♟♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1631 · solved 2,366 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxb5

Solution: Qe1+ → Qxe1 → dxe1=Q#

♟♙♚♟
♔♟
♟♘
♟♙
♙♜♙
♟
White to move · rating 1637 · solved 1,986 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf7

Solution: Kd7 → Kf6 → e8=Q

♟
♟♟
♙
♙♔♚
♙
White to move · rating 1641 · solved 2,488 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kg3

Solution: b4 → h5 → c5 → h4 → c6 → h3 → c7

♜♚
♟♟
♖♟♙♟♕
♟♟
♙
♙♙
♗♙♙
♛♝♔
White to move · rating 1654 · solved 1,947 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd1

Solution: Qg7+ → Rxg7 → fxg7+ → Kg8 → Ra8+ → Qd8 → Rxd8#

♚
♟
♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙
♝♔
White to move · rating 1660 · solved 2,376 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bc1

Solution: g6 → Bh6 → f6 → Bg5 → g7 → Bxf6 → g8=Q+

♚
♟♖
♔♘
♟
♙
♜
Black to move · rating 1680 · solved 2,083 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Rxd6+ → Kxd6 → Kxb7 → Ke5 → f3 → Ke4 → f2

♔♙♚
♝
♙
♙
♜♟
♖
White to move · rating 1695 · solved 2,147 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf2

Solution: Rxf2 → h1=Q → Rxf6 → Kxf6 → d8=Q+

♟♟
♟
♟♟♙
♚♙♙
♙♔♘
Black to move · rating 1777 · solved 1,863 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd2

Solution: Kxb2 → Nxd4 → exd4 → e5 → a3 → e6 → a2 → e7 → a1=Q

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

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