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Bishop endgame tactics Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1803 · solved 42,340,434 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are bishop endgame tactics puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 19,602 puzzles, median rating 1803, solved 42,340,434 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 bishop endgame tactics puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

bishop endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 19,602 bishop endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level, solved 42,340,434 times in total. The median rating is 1803.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 19,602Advanced pawn · 5,785Defensive move · 3,738Quiet move · 3,093Promotion · 1,823Sacrifice · 968Deflection · 945Hanging piece · 534

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical bishop endgame tactics solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 bishop endgame tactics puzzles at challenging level (10.2% of all 19,602).

45.2% need 2 solver moves, 37.8% need 3 solver moves, 12% need 4 solver moves, 4.6% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1794 for the shortest solutions, 1863 for the longest.

48.3% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 23.4% and gives check in 15%; 1.6% end in checkmate, 5.8% involve a sacrifice, 50.3% have White to move.

23.4%first move captures
15%first move gives check
1.6%end in checkmate
5.8%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
45.2% · median rating 1794
3 solver moves
37.8% · median rating 1810
4 solver moves
12% · median rating 1811
5+ solver moves
4.6% · median rating 1863

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
48.3%
Key move by a bishop
27.4%
Key move by the king
24.3%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
39.4%
Most valuable capture: bishop
29.5%
Most valuable capture: pawn
28.7%
Most valuable capture: queen
1.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
0.7%

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)
57.3%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
31%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
9.2%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
1%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.6%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
0%
13–20 pieces
24.5%
12 pieces or fewer
75.5%

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: b6 (4.7%), e6 (4.6%), f5 (4.5%), c6 (4.5%), f6 (4.3%).

8
1.11.51.6222.321.17
3.74.74.53.34.64.33.92.56
2.92.73.82.92.94.53.63.35
1.122.21.62.32.12.31.54
1.31.31.43
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♟♚
♙♙
♙♟♔♟
♝
♗
White to move · rating 1610 · solved 1,312 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg3

Solution: b5 → d3 → Bxd3

♚♟
♙♙
♔
♟
♗
♝♙
Black to move · rating 1628 · solved 1,295 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be3

Solution: Bxe3 → fxe3 → g3 → a7 → Kb7 → a8=Q+ → Kxa8

♟
♟
♙
♟♔♗
♚♟
Black to move · rating 1638 · solved 1,203 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bg3

Solution: Kc2 → Be1 → Kd1

♝
♙
♟♔♚
♗♟
♙♙
♟
Black to move · rating 1646 · solved 1,606 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a4

Solution: Ke5 → Bf2 → d4 → Ka7 → d3

♚
♟
♟
♟♙♙
♙
♙
♝♔
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 1667 · solved 1,486 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd2

Solution: Bxe4 → Bxe4 → a2 → Bd5 → a1=Q

♝
♗♝
♙♗♔
♟♚
Black to move · rating 1687 · solved 1,177 times · Mate in 2.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Be8+ → Kc5 → Bd6#

♟♚
♔
♙♙♟
♝♙
♙
White to move · rating 1701 · solved 1,158 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bf4

Solution: e6 → Kf6 → Kd7 → fxe6 → fxe6

♟
♚
♝♙♗
♔♟
♟♙
White to move · rating 1760 · solved 1,695 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g3

Solution: Bf4+ → Ke7 → Kxc5

♙
♙
♚
♝
♔
White to move · rating 1767 · solved 1,176 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc4

Solution: g6 → Bb2 → g7 → Bxf6 → g8=Q+

♝
♙
♙
♟♔
♙
♚
White to move · rating 1851 · solved 1,206 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxb2

Solution: g6 → c3 → h7 → c2 → h8=Q+

♝
♟♟
♙♙♟♚
♙
♔
♗
White to move · rating 1901 · solved 1,152 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxf4

Solution: Kf3 → Bxh3 → Kxf4

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

Bishop endgame tactics puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelDeveloping level