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Advanced pawn Puzzles: Developing Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1403 · solved 304,944,179 times

Difficulty 1200–1599

These are advanced pawn puzzles rated 1200–1599, the Developing level on this site. They come from real rated games: 89,106 puzzles, median rating 1403, solved 304,944,179 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.

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By the numbers

advanced pawn puzzles at developing level: the numbers

There are 89,106 advanced pawn puzzles at developing level, solved 304,944,179 times in total. The median rating is 1403.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 75,648Promotion · 35,711Rook endgame tactics · 14,821Middlegame tactics · 12,271Checkmate · 10,276Pawn endgame tactics · 8,219Quiet move · 6,890Mate in 2 · 6,303

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 752Queen's Pawn Game · 215French Defence · 205Italian Game · 190Caro–Kann Defence · 173Queen's Gambit Declined · 148English Opening · 147Scotch Game · 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 developing level (2.2% of all 89,106).

2.6% need 1 solver move, 44.5% need 2 solver moves, 37.8% need 3 solver moves, 10.2% need 4 solver moves, 4.9% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1332 for the shortest solutions, 1415 for the longest.

55.6% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 31.8% and gives check in 38.4%; 12% end in checkmate, 21.6% involve a sacrifice, 52.2% have White to move.

31.8%first move captures
38.4%first move gives check
12%end in checkmate
21.6%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
2.6% · median rating 1332
2 solver moves
44.5% · median rating 1391
3 solver moves
37.8% · median rating 1408
4 solver moves
10.2% · median rating 1428
5+ solver moves
4.9% · median rating 1415

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
55.6%
Key move by a rook
18.8%
Key move by a queen
12.4%
Key move by the king
6.2%
Key move by a knight
3.8%
Key move by a bishop
3%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
36.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
25.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
16.6%
Most valuable capture: pawn
10%
Most valuable capture: bishop
6.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.4%

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)
68%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
9.4%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
9.3%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
9.2%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
4.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
1.8%
21–27 pieces
9.1%
13–20 pieces
35%
12 pieces or fewer
54%

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 (6.1%), g7 (5.7%), e7 (5.1%), d7 (4.7%), d6 (4.5%).

1.511.91.42.52.621.18
2.74.23.84.75.16.15.73.67
2.53.43.74.53.13.63.42.76
1.11.91.41.21.81.51.415
1.11.11.14
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 1214 · solved 7,793 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf7

Solution: b6 → Bxc4 → b7

♖
♙
♔
♚♙
♜
♟
Black to move · rating 1243 · solved 5,874 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb8

Solution: Rb3 → Rxb3 → Kxb3 → Kg6 → b1=Q+

♕♝♚
♟♟
♝♟♙
♙
♗
♙♔
♛♜
White to move · rating 1281 · solved 6,164 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a1=Q

Solution: h7+ → Kh8 → Qxf8#

♖
♚♟♙
♟♔
♜
White to move · rating 1282 · solved 5,495 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f5

Solution: h6 → Kf4 → h7

♟♚
♟
♗♖
♙♜♙♙
♔♖♟
♜
Black to move · rating 1322 · solved 5,014 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxe4

Solution: Ra1+ → Kxa1 → h1=Q+ → Ka2 → Qxe4

♚♟♟
♔
♖♙
♙
♜♟♙
Black to move · rating 1350 · solved 5,241 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: f4

Solution: Ra5+ → Kd4 → Ra4 → Rxa4 → b1=Q

♚♜♜
♟♟♟♟
♝♝
♞♙
♙♙♟♗
♙♕♙♙
♔♖♖
Black to move · rating 1360 · solved 7,443 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b3

Solution: e2+ → Kb1 → Na3+ → Kb2 → Nxc2

♝♜♚
♟
♕♙♛
♟♙♙♟
♙
♗♔
White to move · rating 1454 · solved 5,896 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qh6

Solution: gxf7+ → Rxf7 → Qxh6

♟♜
♙♟
♚♗
♙♟♟♔
♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1465 · solved 6,428 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb1

Solution: c2 → Rc1 → Kc3

♜♚
♖♟♟
♜♟♟
♘
♙♙
♟♕♞♙
♙♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1481 · solved 5,031 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qb3

Solution: a2 → Qxc3 → a1=Q+ → Qxa1 → Rxa1+

♚♟♟
♙♝♟
♗♟
♙
♔♙♙
White to move · rating 1484 · solved 5,588 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be6

Solution: d7 → Bxd5 → d8=Q

♟
♙♟
♙
♚♔
Black to move · rating 1595 · solved 5,910 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b5

Solution: g4+ → Kh2 → Kf2 → a5 → g3+ → Kh3 → g2

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

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