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Attraction Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1779 · solved 246,322,611 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are attraction puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 70,457 puzzles, median rating 1779, solved 246,322,611 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 attraction puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

attraction puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 70,457 attraction puzzles at challenging level, solved 246,322,611 times in total. The median rating is 1779.

Often combined with

Sacrifice · 44,705Middlegame tactics · 42,620Endgame tactics · 25,009Fork · 23,113Checkmate · 20,031Kingside attack · 14,304Mate in 3 · 9,148Exposed king · 8,551Deflection · 7,663

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 1,985French Defence · 962Queen's Pawn Game · 792Caro–Kann Defence · 632Italian Game · 629Scandinavian Defense · 548Indian Defence · 474Queen's Gambit Declined · 437

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical attraction solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 attraction puzzles at challenging level (2.8% of all 70,457).

19.6% need 2 solver moves, 59% need 3 solver moves, 17.6% need 4 solver moves, 3.8% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1748 for the shortest solutions, 1851 for the longest.

49.4% open with a rook move. The first move captures in 69.6% and gives check in 77.2%; 29.3% end in checkmate, 76.3% involve a sacrifice, 53.4% have White to move.

69.6%first move captures
77.2%first move gives check
29.3%end in checkmate
76.3%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
19.6% · median rating 1748
3 solver moves
59% · median rating 1765
4 solver moves
17.6% · median rating 1803
5+ solver moves
3.8% · median rating 1851

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a rook
49.4%
Key move by a queen
27.7%
Key move by a bishop
11.6%
Key move by a pawn
6.8%
Key move by a knight
4.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
38.2%
Most valuable capture: rook
24.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
16.7%
Captures nothing along the line
9%
Most valuable capture: bishop
7.4%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.3%

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)
41.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
10.1%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
23.5%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
21.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
2.8%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
3.4%
21–27 pieces
38.2%
13–20 pieces
53.8%
12 pieces or fewer
4.7%

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: h7 (12.2%), g7 (10.2%), h8 (7.8%), f7 (7.7%), f8 (6.4%).

1.31.53.12.32.76.42.97.88
1.21.61.82.73.57.710.212.27
1.91.5232.33.16
2.51.61.61.11.25
1.24
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♟
♟♚♟♟
♜♙♙♟
♙♖♔♙♙
♙
Black to move · rating 1601 · solved 2,849 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc4

Solution: Rxa4 → Rxa4 → b5+ → Kc3 → bxa4

♜♜♚
♕♞♛♟♟
♟♟
♟♗
♘
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1603 · solved 2,484 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rc8

Solution: Qxd7 → Qxd7 → Nf6+ → Kh8 → Nxd7

♖♖
♟♟♚
♙♟
♛♟
♙♗
♙♗♙♔
♜
Black to move · rating 1625 · solved 3,187 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg7

Solution: h3+ → Kh2 → Rh1+ → Kxh1 → Qf3+ → Kg1 → Qg2#

♛♜♚
♟♟♞♟♟♟
♟
♜♘
♕
♖
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1625 · solved 2,984 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd7

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3#

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♝♟
♘♞
♙
♗♖
♙♙♙♛♙♙
♖♕♔
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 2,443 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Rxh7+ → Kxh7 → Qh5#

♜♜♚
♟♛♟♟
♟♞♙♟♕
♟♝
♟♖
♙♘♟♙
♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1638 · solved 2,389 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne6

Solution: Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh4#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♙♟
♕♝♛♞
♙
♙♘♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1667 · solved 2,314 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a3

Solution: Ne2+ → Kh1 → Rxh2+ → Kxh2 → Qh4#

♜♚
♟♖♕♟♟
♜
♟♟
♞
♙
♛♙
♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1703 · solved 2,690 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qe2

Solution: Qxf8+ → Kxf8 → Rd8#

♜♛♕
♟♝♟♞♝♚♟
♟♟
♟♙♙
♜
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♔♖
White to move · rating 1718 · solved 2,385 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf7

Solution: g6+ → Kxg6 → Qh5#

♚
♛♜
♜♕♟
♟♟♟♙
♟♖
♙♙
♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1754 · solved 2,236 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke8

Solution: Rh8+ → Kd7 → Qxe7+ → Kxe7 → Rh7+ → Kd6 → Rxb7

♜♜♚
♞♟♟♟
♝♘♟
♟♙♕
♟♛
♖
♙♗♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1841 · solved 2,800 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a4

Solution: Ne7+ → Kh8 → Qxh7+ → Kxh7 → Rh3+ → Qh4 → Rxh4#

♜♜
♟♟♚♟
♝
♕
♘♙♛
♙♙♞♙♙
♗♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1893 · solved 2,746 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rce1

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kxh2 → Rh8+ → Qh5 → Rxh5#

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

Attraction puzzles by difficulty

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