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Discovered check Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1797 · solved 98,604,338 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are discovered check puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 29,724 puzzles, median rating 1797, solved 98,604,338 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 check puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

discovered check puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 29,724 discovered check puzzles at challenging level, solved 98,604,338 times in total. The median rating is 1797.

Often combined with

Discovered attack · 21,387Middlegame tactics · 18,080Endgame tactics · 10,101Checkmate · 9,972Double check · 8,489Sacrifice · 6,012Mate in 2 · 5,238Kingside attack · 5,187Advanced pawn · 3,180

Which openings produce them?

Sicilian Defence · 925Italian Game · 541French Defence · 450Queen's Pawn Game · 354Caro–Kann Defence · 294Scandinavian Defense · 272Scotch Game · 210King's Gambit · 207

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical discovered check solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 discovered check puzzles at challenging level (6.7% of all 29,724).

3.8% need 1 solver move, 41.6% need 2 solver moves, 41.8% need 3 solver moves, 10.6% need 4 solver moves, 2.2% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1700 for the shortest solutions, 1883 for the longest.

26.7% open with a knight move. The first move captures in 35.6% and gives check in 85.2%; 33.2% end in checkmate, 22.9% involve a sacrifice, 55.6% have White to move.

35.6%first move captures
85.2%first move gives check
33.2%end in checkmate
22.9%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
3.8% · median rating 1700
2 solver moves
41.6% · median rating 1782
3 solver moves
41.8% · median rating 1805
4 solver moves
10.6% · median rating 1847
5+ solver moves
2.2% · median rating 1883

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a knight
26.7%
Key move by a rook
22.2%
Key move by a bishop
19.4%
Key move by a pawn
15.6%
Key move by a queen
14.2%
Key move by the king
1.8%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: queen
26.6%
Captures nothing along the line
22.9%
Most valuable capture: rook
17.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
17.2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
9.5%
Most valuable capture: knight
6.4%

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)
35.5%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
16.7%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
16%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
20.8%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
11%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
4.1%
21–27 pieces
41.9%
13–20 pieces
47.8%
12 pieces or fewer
6.2%

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 (7.8%), g7 (7%), f6 (6.7%), g6 (5.3%), e7 (4.9%).

1.7231.718
1.81.44.97.874.97
1.21.73.84.26.75.336
1.21.72.63.13.93.71.65
1.21.11.11.94
3
2
1
abcdefgh

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

Study positions

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

♚
♟
♙♟♟
♟♛
♟♕♟♝
♙♙
♙♔♙
♖
Black to move · rating 1618 · solved 597 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxd4

Solution: exf3+ → Kxf3 → Be5+

♜♜♚
♟♟♟
♝♟♟♟
♙♘
♙♙♕
♙♞♙
♗♙
♗♔
Black to move · rating 1624 · solved 296 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qg4

Solution: Rxc1+ → Bf1 → Rxf1+ → Kxf1 → Ne5+

♜♚
♟♘
♛
♟♟♞
♟♕
♙
♙♙
♖♔
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 1632 · solved 913 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b1=Q

Solution: e7+ → Kg7 → e8=Q+

♝♟
♟♚♟
♙
♟♙♔
♙♖
♖♜♙
Black to move · rating 1632 · solved 599 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: R1e2

Solution: g5+ → Ke4 → c5+ → Kd3 → Ba6+

♖♘
♟
♙♝♙
♚
♜
♔
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

♜♜
♕♘♟♚
♟♟♞♟
♙
♙
♙
♙♛♙
♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1695 · solved 424 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rb8

Solution: Rxe7+ → Kxe7 → Nd5+ → Kf8 → Qe7+

♛♚♜
♟
♙♖
♕♙
♙
♟
♜♙
♔
White to move · rating 1700 · solved 542 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qb8

Solution: Rc6+ → Kd7 → Rb6+ → Ke7 → Rxb8

♜♚
♟♟♟♖♟
♕
♛♙♝♟
♗♙♝
♙♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1713 · solved 862 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Be5

Solution: Rxg8+ → Kxg8 → d6+

♜♛♚
♟♟♟♟♕
♟♝♟
♞♝
♙♙♙
♙♗♙
♔♖♘
White to move · rating 1781 · solved 739 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc4

Solution: Qg8+ → Kd7 → dxc4+

♚
♟♖
♝♟
♘♞
♙
♙♜♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 1881 · solved 406 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nc4

Solution: Rf2+ → Kg1 → Rd2+

♟♟♚♜♟
♛♗
♞♕♟
♙
♙
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 1890 · solved 1,199 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxe6

Solution: Nd3+ → Kh1 → Nxe5

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 check puzzles by difficulty

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