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Discovered attack Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1779 · solved 216,471,249 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are discovered attack puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 70,906 puzzles, median rating 1779, solved 216,471,249 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 discovered attack puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered attack puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 70,906 discovered attack puzzles at challenging level, solved 216,471,249 times in total. The median rating is 1779.

Often combined with

Middlegame tactics · 46,773Discovered check · 21,387Endgame tactics · 19,754Kingside attack · 10,402Sacrifice · 9,671Checkmate · 7,450Fork · 6,191Pin · 5,316

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 3,127French Defence · 1,380Italian Game · 1,092Queen's Pawn Game · 1,040Caro–Kann Defence · 980Scandinavian Defense · 803Queen's Gambit Declined · 699English Opening · 643

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered attack solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered attack puzzles at challenging level (2.8% of all 70,906).

0.8% need 1 solver move, 44.2% need 2 solver moves, 45.2% need 3 solver moves, 8.4% need 4 solver moves, 1.3% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1700 for the shortest solutions, 1883 for the longest.

32.7% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 44.3% and gives check in 66.6%; 11% end in checkmate, 43% involve a sacrifice, 53.8% have White to move.

44.3%first move captures
66.6%first move gives check
11%end in checkmate
43%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
0.8% · median rating 1700
2 solver moves
44.2% · median rating 1758
3 solver moves
45.2% · median rating 1789
4 solver moves
8.4% · median rating 1839
5+ solver moves
1.3% · median rating 1883

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
32.7%
Key move by a bishop
20.1%
Key move by a rook
17%
Key move by a queen
14.8%
Key move by a pawn
14.1%
Key move by the king
1.2%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
44.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
23.8%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.8%
Most valuable capture: pawn
8.8%
Most valuable capture: knight
8.2%
Captures nothing along the line
4.7%

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)
13.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16.2%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
27%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
32.4%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
11.2%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
6.9%
21–27 pieces
48.4%
13–20 pieces
40.4%
12 pieces or fewer
4.2%

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: f6 (9.1%), f7 (5.4%), g6 (5.1%), e6 (4.7%), d5 (4.6%).

1.31.41.51.18
1.31.42.43.95.44.43.47
1.123.24.79.15.12.96
1.524.64.23.341.25
2.42.12.31.81.714
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

The most-solved discovered attack 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 2,112 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nd2

Solution: Nf3+ → gxf3 → Qxd5

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♖♘♛
♘♟
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♕♔
White to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,537 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: gxh3

Solution: Nd6+ → Kd7 → Rxg5

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♛
♞♙♝
♙♙♘
♙♕♗♙♙♙
♖♘♔♖
Black to move · rating 1604 · solved 1,519 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qd2

Solution: Nc2+ → Kd1 → Qxd2+

♜♚
♟♟
♟♟♝
♞
♕♗♛
♙♙♙♜♙
♔♖♖
White to move · rating 1621 · solved 1,955 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Bb5+ → Rxb5 → Qxf3 → Rxg1 → Rxg1

♜♚
♟♘
♛
♟♟♞
♟♕
♙
♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1625 · solved 2,914 times · Mate in 4.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rg8+

Solution: Ng5+ → Kg7 → Qh7+ → Kf8 → Rxf7+ → Nxf7 → Qxf7#

♜
♟♟♛♝♚
♞♟♟
♟♙♜
♟♙
♙♙♕
♙♙♖♗
♖♔
White to move · rating 1630 · solved 2,146 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxg5

Solution: exf6+ → Kh6 → Qxc7

♜♞♝♚♝
♟♟♟
♟♗♞
♘♟♘
♙
♕♗♙
♙♛♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1635 · solved 2,038 times · Mate in 3.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd8

Solution: Nf7+ → Ke8 → Nc7+ → Ke7 → Qxd6#

♚♜
♟♟♟♟
♞♕♟
♟♙♞
♙♗♛♘
♙♖♙♗♝
♖♘♔
Black to move · rating 1638 · solved 2,207 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg6

Solution: Nxe3+ → Nxe3 → Qxg6

♜♛♜♚
♝♟♟
♝♟
♕♙♟♙
♙♟♙
♙
♙♙♗♗
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1638 · solved 1,853 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxa5

Solution: Qxa5 → Bxa5 → Bxe2 → Kxe2 → Rxa5

♜♝♜♚
♟♟♛♟
♟♟♕
♟
♙♞
♙♙
♗♗♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 1649 · solved 1,523 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg7

Solution: Qxg7+ → Kxg7 → Bxd4+ → cxd4 → Rxb8

♜♜♚
♟♝♛♟♟
♟♟♟
♝
♙♙
♙♘♗♙
♖♕♘♖♔
Black to move · rating 1661 · solved 2,200 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh1

Solution: Bxg2+ → Kxg2 → Qb7+ → Rf3 → Rxc1

♖♘
♟
♙♝♙
♚
♜
♔
Black to move · rating 1682 · solved 2,383 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nf6

Solution: Rd2+ → Kc1 → Rd6+ → Kc2 → Rxa6

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

Discovered attack puzzles by difficulty

Advanced levelFoundation levelDeveloping level