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Back-rank mate Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1722 · solved 23,703,044 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are back-rank mate puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 3,949 puzzles, median rating 1722, solved 23,703,044 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 back-rank mate puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

back-rank mate puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 3,949 back-rank mate puzzles at challenging level, solved 23,703,044 times in total. The median rating is 1722.

Often combined with

Checkmate · 3,945Sacrifice · 2,205Middlegame tactics · 2,130Mate in 3 · 2,008Endgame tactics · 1,795Mate in 2 · 987Mate in 4 · 738Deflection · 708Fork · 643X-ray attack · 476

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 56French Defence · 21Italian Game · 21Ruy Lopez · 19Queen's Pawn Game · 18Scotch Game · 17Scandinavian Defense · 17Caro–Kann Defence · 12

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical back-rank mate solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 back-rank mate puzzles at challenging level (50.6% of all 3,949).

1% need 1 solver move, 25% need 2 solver moves, 51.1% need 3 solver moves, 18.8% need 4 solver moves, 4.1% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1657 for the shortest solutions, 1762 for the longest.

69.2% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 38.4% and gives check in 97.8%; 99.9% end in checkmate, 71.5% involve a sacrifice, 49.2% have White to move.

38.4%first move captures
97.8%first move gives check
99.9%end in checkmate
71.5%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
1% · median rating 1657
2 solver moves
25% · median rating 1694
3 solver moves
51.1% · median rating 1724
4 solver moves
18.8% · median rating 1778
5+ solver moves
4.1% · median rating 1762

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
69.2%
Key move by a rook
16.5%
Key move by a knight
7.9%
Key move by a bishop
5.8%
Key move by a pawn
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: rook
67.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
16.3%
Captures nothing along the line
6.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
4.9%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.2%
Most valuable capture: pawn
1.4%

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)
58.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
8.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
5.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.7%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0.2%
21–27 pieces
22.6%
13–20 pieces
76.1%
12 pieces or fewer
1.2%

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 (19%), c8 (9.6%), d8 (9.2%), e8 (8.8%), f8 (8.3%).

4.85.29.69.28.88.31.58
2.23.36.21917
2.56.56
2.71.25
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♜
♖♟♟♚
♟
♙♟♞
♙♗
♙♜♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1609 · solved 2,227 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kf1

Solution: Nd2+ → Kg1 → Re1+ → Rxe1 → Rxe1#

♚
♛♟♟♟
♝
♟♟♟
♙♗♙
♙♙♙♖♕
♜♜♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1630 · solved 1,033 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rbb2

Solution: Qc8+ → Qd8 → Qxd8#

♜♞♜
♟♟♚
♟♝♟
♙♟
♙♟♛
♗♘
♙♙♕♙♙♙
♖♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1689 · solved 1,100 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: cxd5

Solution: Qxh2+ → Kf1 → Qh1+ → Nxh1 → Rxh1#

♜♜♚
♝♟♟
♟♞♟♞
♟♛♙♕
♙
♙♗♖
♙♙♙
♖♗♔
White to move · rating 1707 · solved 1,116 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rfd8

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Nxh8 → Rxh8#

♜♝♛♜♚
♟♝♟♟
♟♟♞
♟♞♙♕
♙
♗
♙♙♙♗♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1723 · solved 1,460 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ng6

Solution: Qh7+ → Kf8 → Qh8+ → Nxh8 → Rxh8#

♜♞♚
♟♕♟♟♟
♟♛
♟
♙♝
♙♙♙♖♙
♔
White to move · rating 1730 · solved 1,132 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg4

Solution: Qc8+ → Bxc8 → Re8#

♜♚♜
♟♖♞♟♟♟
♟♟
♟♙
♕
♗♙♙♙
♛♘♔
White to move · rating 1736 · solved 1,346 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re8

Solution: Qxe7+ → Rxe7 → Rc8+ → Re8 → Ba3+ → Qb4 → Bxb4+ → Kg8 → Rxe8#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♖
♟
♟♕
♙
♛♙♘♙
♙♙♟
♔♖
Black to move · rating 1760 · solved 1,090 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kb1

Solution: Qd3+ → Ka1 → Qd1+ → Rxd1 → exd1=Q#

♜♜♚
♟♝♟♛♟
♟♟
♘♙
♕
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
Black to move · rating 1762 · solved 929 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxd5

Solution: Qxf2+ → Kh1 → Qf1+ → Rxf1 → Rxf1#

♚
♕♟♟
♙♟♝
♘♟
♙
♜♛♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1826 · solved 1,238 times · Mate in 5.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rf1

Solution: Qxf2+ → Rxf2 → Rc1+ → Rf1 → Bd4+ → Ne3 → Bxe3+ → Kh1 → Rxf1#

♜♚
♝♟♕♟♟
♟
♟♛
♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖
White to move · rating 1871 · solved 1,389 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxe5

Solution: Qxc8+ → Bxc8 → Rd8+ → Qe8 → Rxe8#

♕
♜♟♚
♟♝♟
♟
♙♖♙♙
♜♖♔
Black to move · rating 1941 · solved 1,577 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxf2

Solution: Rxg1+ → Kxg1 → Re1+ → Rf1 → Bd4+ → Kh1 → Rxf1#

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

Back-rank mate puzzles by difficulty

Foundation level